Gel-free α-olefin dispersant additives useful in oleaginous compositions

ABSTRACT

Gel-free dispersant additives for lubricating and fuel oil compositions comprise at least one adduct of (A) α-olefin homopolymer or interpolymer of 700 to 10,000 number average molecular weight, free radically grafted with an average of from about 0.5 to about 5 carboxylic acid producing moieties per polymer chain, and (B) at least one non-aromatic nucleophilic post-treating reactant selected from (i) amine compounds containing only a single reactive amino group per molecule, (ii) alcohol compounds containing only a single hydroxy group per molecule, (iii) polyamine compounds containing at least two reactive amino groups per molecule, (iv) polyol compounds containing at least two reactive hydroxy groups per molecule, (v) aminoalcohol compounds containing at least one reactive amino group and at least one reactive hydroxy group per molecule, and (vi) mixtures of (i) to (v); provided that when said post-treating reactant includes one or more of (iii), (iv) or (v), the reaction between (A) and (B) is conducted in the presence of sufficient chain-stopping or end-capping co-reactant (C) to ensure that the grafted and post-reacted product mixture is gel-free.

This is a continuation of application Ser. No. 07/991,837, filed Dec.17, 1992, now abandoned.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

This invention relates to improved oil soluble polymeric dispersantadditives useful in oleaginous compositions, particularly oleaginouslubricating oil compositions. The additives, which are gel-free andsubstantially free from haze and cross-linking, comprise homopolymers orinterpolymers of C₃ to C₂₈ alpha-olefins, preferably interpolymers ofethylene with propylene or 1-butene, which have been free radicallygrafted with monounsaturated carboxylic reactant, e.g., maleicanhydride, preferably in a solvent such as lubricating oil, and thenreacted with a nucleophilic post-treating reactant selected from (i)amine compounds containing only a single reactive amino group permolecule, (ii) alcohol compounds containing only a single hydroxy groupper molecule, (iii) polyamine compounds containing at least two reactiveamino groups per molecule, (iv) polyol compounds containing at least tworeactive hydroxy groups per molecule, (v) aminoalcohol compoundscontaining at least one reactive amino group and at least one reactivehydroxy group per molecule, and (vi) mixtures of (i) to (v); providedthat when said post-treating reactant includes one or more of (iii),(iv) or (v), the reaction between the grafted polymer and thenucleophilic post-treating reactant is conducted in the presence ofsufficient chain-stopping or end-capping co-reactant to ensure that thegrafted and post-reacted product mixture is gel-free.

The α-olefin homopolymers and interpolymers, prior to being grafted withthe carboxylic reactant have a number average molecular weight of fromabout 700 to about 10,000 and at least about 30 percent, and preferablyat least about 60 percent of the polymer chains possess terminalethenylidene, i.e., vinylidene, unsaturation.

Ashless ester and nitrogen containing lubricating oil dispersants havebeen widely used by the industry. Typically, these dispersants areprepared from a long chain hydrocarbon polymer by reacting the polymerwith maleic anhydride to form the corresponding polymer which issubstituted with succinic anhydride groups. Polyisobutylene has beenwidely used as the polymer of choice, chiefly because it is readilyavailable by cationic polymerization from butene streams (e.g., usingAlCl₃ catalysts). Such polyisobutylenes generally contain residualunsaturation in amounts of about one ethylenic double bond per polymerchain, positioned along the chain.

The polyisbutylene polymers (PIB) employed in most conventionaldispersants are based on a hydrocarbon chain of a number averagemolecular weight (M_(n)) of from about 900 to about 2500. PIB having aM_(n) of less than about 300 gives rather poor performance results whenemployed in dispersants because the molecular weight is insufficient tokeep the dispersant molecule fully solubilized in lubricating oils. Onthe other hand, high molecular weight PIB (M_(n) >3000) becomes soviscous that conventional industrial practices are incapable of handlingthis product in many operations. This problem becomes much more severeas the PIB molecular weight increases to 5,000 to 10,000.

Increased amounts of terminal ethylenic unsaturation in polyisobutylene(so-called "reactive polyisobutylene") has been achieved by BF₃catalyzed polymerization of isobutylene. Exemplary of referencesdisclosing these polymers is U.S. Pat. No. 4,152,499. However, suchreactive polyisobutylene materials can still contain substantial amountsof unsaturation elsewhere along the chain. Further, it is difficult toproduce such reactive polyisobutylene polymers at molecular weights ofgreater than about 2,000, and, even so, the reactive polyisobutylenesthemselves still suffer the above-noted viscosity increase disadvantagesas molecular weights are increased.

Other polymers, such as ethylene-alpha-olefin interpolymers, (e.g.,ethylene-propylene copolymers and terpolymers containing non-conjugateddienes), have been disclosed as suitable polymers for the preparation ofashless dispersants.

U.S. Pat. No. 4,234,435, for example, discloses dispersants preparedfrom polyalkenes, M_(n) of 1,300 to about 5,000. The polyalkene cancomprise homopolymers or interpolymers of C₂ to C₁₆ terminal olefins, ofwhich ethylene-propylene copolymers are said to be examples, withspecific reference to a copolymer of 80% ethylene and 20% propylene.

However, ethylene-alpha-olefin interpolymers of the above molecularweights could be produced using Ziegler-Natta catalysts only incombination with H₂ as molecular weight control in order to terminatethe growing copolymer chains within this molecular weight range. Withoutuse of H₂ or other conventional, so-called "chain-stoppers", theinterpolymers produced with Ziegler-Natta catalysts would tend to havemolecular weights greatly in excess of the above range. (Such highercopolymers, for example, are widely employed in ungrafted form asviscosity index improvers, and when grafted with nitrogen-containinggroups, as described below, are conventionally employed asdispersant-viscosity index improver polymers.) The use of H₂ as a chainstopper has the disadvantage of causing the saturation of the olefinicdouble bond content of the copolymer. Thus, while lower molecular weightcopolymers were theoretically possible to prepare, their lowunsaturation content (and the accompanying low graft copolymer yields)would have made their further functionalization by a thermal "ene"reaction, e.g., with dicarboxylic acid moieties in preparingdispersants, highly unattractive.

High molecular weight ethylene-propylene copolymer andethylene-propylene-diene terpolymers, having viscosity average molecularweights of from about 20,000 to 300,000, are generally producedemploying Ziegler catalysts, generally VCl₄ or VOCl₃ with a halidesource, such as organoaluminum halides and/or hydrogen halides. Suchhigh molecular weight EP and EPDM polymers find use as viscosity indeximprovers. See, e.g., U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,563,964; 3,697,429; 4,306,041;4,540,753; 4,575,574; and 4,666,619.

The concept of functionalizing V.I. improving high molecular weightethylene copolymers, with acid moieties such as maleic anhydride,followed by derivatizing with an amine, to form a V.I.-dispersant oiladditives is known in the art as indicated by the following patents.

U.S. Pat. No. 3,316,177 teaches ethylene copolymers of at least 50,000,such as ethylene-propylene, or ethylene-propylene-diene, which areheated to elevated temperatures in the presence of oxygen so as tooxidize the polymer and cause its reaction with maleic anhydride whichis present during the oxidation. The resulting polymer can then bereacted with alkylene polyamines.

U.S. Pat. No. 3,326,804 teaches reacting ethylene copolymers with oxygenor ozone, to form a hydroperoxidized polymer which is grafted withmaleic anhydride followed by reaction with polyalkylene polyamines.Preferred are ethylene-propylene copolymers, having M_(v) from 100,000to 500,000, prepared by Ziegler type catalysts.

U.S. Pat. No. 4,160,739 teaches an ethylene copolymer (M_(v) =10,000 to200,000) which is grafted, using a free radical technique, withalternating maleic anhydride and a second polymerizable monomer such asmethacrylic acid, which materials are reacted with an amine having asingle primary, or a single secondary, amine group.

U.S. Pat. No. 4,161,452 relates to graft copolymers wherein the backbonepolymer is a polymeric hydrocarbon such as EP copolymer or EPDM (M_(v)=10,000 to 200,000) and the grafted units are the residues of anadditional copolymerizable monomer system comprising, e.g., maleicanhydride, and at least one other addition monomer.

U.S. Pat. No. 4,171,273 reacts an ethylene copolymer (M_(v) =10,000 to100,000) with maleic anhydride in the presence of a free radicalinitiator and then with mixtures of C₄ to C₁₂ n-alcohol and amine suchas N-aminopropylmorpholine or dimethylamino propyl amine to form aV.I.-dispersant-pour depressant additive.

The following references include disclosures of EP/EPDM polymers ofM_(v) of 700/500,000, also prepared by conventional, e.g., Zieglercatalysts.

U.S. Pat. No. 4,089,794 teaches grafting the ethylene copolymer (M_(n)=700 to 500,000) with maleic anhydride using peroxide in a lubricatingoil solution, wherein the grafting is preferably carried out undernitrogen, followed by reaction with polyamine.

U.S. Pat. No. 4,137,185 teaches reacting C₁ to C₃₀ monocarboxylic acidanhydrides, and dicarboxylic anhydrides, such as acetic anhydride,succinic anhydride, etc., with an ethylene copolymer (M_(n) =700 to500,000) reacted with maleic anhydride and a polyalkylene polyamine toinhibit cross linking and viscosity increase due to further reaction ofany primary amine groups which were initially unreacted. Similar to U.S.Pat. No. 4,137,185 is E.P. Application 295,854 A2, wherein a C₁₂ to C₁₈hydrocarbyl substituted succinic anhydride is used to treat theimidized, carboxylic-grated ethylene-alpha-olefin a separate andsubsequent reaction step.

U.S. Pat. No. 4,144,181 is similar to U.S. Pat. No. 4,137,185 in that itteaches using a sulfonic acid to inactivate the remaining primary aminegroups when a maleic anhydride grafted ethylene-propylene copolymer(M_(n) =700 to 500,00) is reacted with a polyamine.

U.S. Pat. No. 4,219,432 teaches maleic anhydride grafted ethylenecopolymer (M_(n) =700 to 500,00) reacted with both a first amine havingonly one primary group and a second amine having two or more primarygroups. More particularly, the grafted copolymer is reacted partially(i.e., between about 10 to 90% conversion) with a tertiary amino-aminecompound having one primary amine group, and then fully with analpha-omega primary diamine having two primary amine groups. Then, in apost-reaction step, the imidized polymer is reacted with an anhydride ofan organic acid (e.g., a C₁ -C₃₀ hydrocarbyl substituted carboxylicacid). The treatment of the imidized polymer by reaction with theorganic acid anhydride stabilizes the polymer for use as a dispersant/VIimprover additive and inhibits viscosity increase of the lubricating oilcompositions in which it is used.

U.S. Pat. No. 4,505,834 teaches VI improver/dispersant additives forlubricating oils produced by grafting succinic groups onto an ethyleneα-olefin polymer in a hydrogen-treated mineral oil solution, and thenreacting the grafted intermediate with an amine having only one primaryamine group. The succinic groups are grafted onto the copolymer byreacting the copolymer with maleic acid, anhydride, or acid-ester in thepresence of a free radical producing catalyst. The patent particularlydiscloses that the use of an amine that contains only one primary aminegroup "prevents the amine from acting as a crosslinking agent betweenmaleic grafted olefin copolymer." (column 3, lines 24-25) Theethylene-alpha-olefin copolymer has a number average molecular weight ofabout 1,000-500,000 and contains about 30-80 wt. % ethylene units and20-70 wt. % olefin units, and may optionally contain up to about 10 Wt.% non-conjugated diene units.

U.K. Application 2,055,852 A discloses a process for the production ofpolymeric dispersant additives and viscosity index improvers forlubricating oils, wherein an ethylene-alpha-olefin copolymer in mineraloil solution is grafted under an inert atmosphere with an ethylenicallyunsaturated dicarboxylic acid material in the presence of a free radicalinitiator to provide a grafted copolymer that contains from 2 to 20carboxyl groups per copolymer molecule, and wherein the graftedcopolymer is then imidated by reaction with 0.5 to 1.5 moles of an alkylhetero-substituted alkylene primary amine per mole of grafteddicarboxylic acid groups. In this process, a portion of the mineral oilis grafted and imidated as well. Lubricating oil compositions containingthese additives are said to be viscosity-stable and haze-free. Thecopolymers which are grafted contain from about 2 to 98 wt. % ethyleneand from about 2 to 98 wt. % of one or more C₃ -C₂₈ α-olefins. Thecopolymers preferably have a crystallinity of less than 25 wt. % and aM_(n) of about 700 to about 500,000.

E.P. Application 171,167 A2 discloses a process for grafting oil solublehydrocarbon polymers or copolymers of M_(n) from 5,000 to 500,000 withan ethylenically unsaturated C₃ -C₁₀ carboxylic acid having 1 to 2carboxylic acid groups or an anhydride group in the presence of a freeradical initiator and a chain stopping agent. A preferred group ofpolymers are ethylene-alpha-olefin copolymers that contain 15-90 wt. %ethylene and 10-85 wt. % of one or more C₃ -C₂₈ α-olefins. The graftingis accomplished in the solid state, rather than in solution, to avoidgrafting the solvent. A VI improver/dispersant may be obtained bydissolving the grafted material in a mineral lubricating oil andreacting it with an amine having 2-60 carbons atoms and 1-12 aminegroups. Especially preferred amines have "a single primary amine group,with any other amine groups present being tertiary amine groups. Thisminimizes cross-linking and becomes particularly important when thepolymer has a relatively high degree of acidity, e.g. above about 0.1meq./g of polymer." (page 17, lines 5-9)

U.S. Pat. No. 4,749,505 discloses a process for the molecular weightdegradation of olefin polymers of M_(n) of from about 5,000 to about500,000, in which the polymer is heated in the presence of a freeradical initiator under inert atmosphere and in the substantial absenceof a solvent. Suitable olefin polymers include copolymers of two or moremonomers of C₂ to C₃₀ alpha-olefins. A VI-dispersant additive may beformed from the degraded polymer by grafting the hydrocarbon polymerwith an ethylenically unsaturated C₃ -C₁₀ carboxylic acid having 1 or 2carboxylic acid groups or an anhydride group before, during or after thedegradation step, and then reacting the grafted polymer with an amine.Useful amines include mono- and polyamines of about 2-60 carbon atomsand about 1-12 nitrogen atoms. Especially preferred are amines "having asingle primary amine group, with an other amine groups present beingtertiary amine groups" to inhibit crosslinking. (column 7, lines 16-18)

U.S. Pat. No. 4,863,623 teaches a multifunctional lubricant additive,which acts as a VI improver, a dispersant, and an anti-oxidant inlubricating oil compositions. The multifunctional additive comprises anethylene copolymer or terpolymer of a C₃ -C₁₀ alpha-monoolefin andoptionally a non-conjugated diene or triene that has been grafted with aethylenically unsaturated carboxylic function, and then furtherderivatized with an amino-aromatic polyamine compound. The process forgrafting the unsaturated carboxylic function, preferably maleicanhydride, onto the copolymer may be a thermal "ene" process or a freeradical process, either in solution or in solid form. The ethylenecopolymer is oil soluble, substantially linear, and has an averagemolecular weight from about 5,000 to 500,000. Among the suitablecopolymers are ethylene-alpha-olefin copolymers having from about 15-80mole % ethylene and 20-85 mole % of an alpha-olefin.

E.P. Application 396,297 A1 contains teachings similar to that of theabove-described U.S. Pat. No. 4,863,623, with the significant differencebeing that the polymers subjected to grafting with the carboxyliccompound have molecular weights in a lower range, from 300 to 3,500. Twoother patents along similar lines to U.S. Pat. No. 4,863,623 areCanadian Patent 2,021,959 and U.S. Pat. No. 5,075,383, both of which aredirected to dispersant-antioxidant additives prepared by graftingethylene-alpha-olefin copolymers with an acylating agent before or afterthe molecular weight degradation of the copolymer, followed byderivatization of the grafted copolymer with an aromatic polyamine.

The following references include disclosures of lubricating oiladditives produced from ethylene-alpha-olefin interpolymers, radicallygrafted with unsaturated carboxylic compounds, by reaction with aminereactants in the presence of hydrocarbyl-substituted carboxylic acidcompounds acting as chain-stoppers:

U.S. Pat. No. 4,557,847 teaches polymeric viscosity indeximprover-dispersant additives for lubricating oils produced by reactingan ethylene-alpha-olefin copolymer grafted with an ethylenicallyunsaturated carboxylic material having 1 or 2 carboxylic acid groups oranhydride groups, preferably maleic anhydride, with an alkylene oroxyalkylene amine having at least two primary amine groups and abranched chain acid. The ethylene-alpha-olefin copolymer has a M_(n) offrom about 5,000 to about 500,000. Copolymers containing one or morediolefins are also suitable. The branched chain acid may be of formulaRCOOH where R is a hydrocarbyl group containing 20-148 carbon atoms. Thegrafted copolymer, the amine, and the branched acid may be reactedtogether, or the amine and branched acid may be reacted to form apre-reacted product which is then reacted with the grafted copolymer.The specification discloses that "[c]ross-linking between ethylenecopolymer molecules is reduced or inhibited since many of the polyaminemolecules will have one primary group reacted with a maleic anhydridemoiety of the ethylene copolymer, while its other primary group isreacted with the branched chain acid component." (column 2, lines32-38).

U.S. Pat. No. 4,517,104, which has teachings similar to those in U.S.Pat. No. 4,557,847, discloses a broader range of acid componentssuitable for use as the co-reactant with the amine. More particularly,the acid component may be a C₁₂ -C₄₉ hydrocarbyl substituted succinicanhydride or acid, a long-chain monocarboxylic acid of formula RCOOHwhere R is a C₅₀ -C₄₀₀ hydrocarbyl group, or a long-chain C₅₀ -C₄₀₀hydrocarbyl substituted succinic anhydride or acid. Also along similarlines to U.S. Pat. No. 4,517,104 are E.P. Application 352,072 A1, whichdiscloses the use of an acid component comprising a long chainhydrocarbyl substituted dicarboxylic acid material and a short chainhydrocarbyl substituted dicarboxylic acid or anhydride, and E.P.Application 369,674 A1, which discloses a poly-n-butene substituteddicarboxylic acid material of M_(n) 300-3,000 as the acid-component.

Related disclosures of maleic anhydride grafted, aminatedethylene-propylene polymer viscosity improver-dispersant additivesuseful in lubricating oil compositions are contained in U.S. Pat. Nos.4,507,515; 4,632,769; 4,693,838; and 4,707,285.

U.S. Pat. No. 4,668,834 discloses the preparation (via certainmetallocene and alumoxane catalyst systems) of ethylene-alpha olefincopolymers and terpolymers having vinylidene-type terminal unsaturation,which are disclosed as being useful as intermediates in epoxy-graftedencapsulation compositions.

U.S. Pat. No. 4,704,491 relates to liquid ethylene alpha-olefin randomcopolymers, which are useful when hydrogenated, as synthetic lubricantoil. The copolymers are characterized, inter alia, by having 10-85 mol.% ethylene units, 15-90 mol. % alpha-olefin units, M_(n) of from 300 to10,000 and a M_(w) /M_(n) of not more than 2.5. The patent alsoindicates that the liquid copolymer can be modified easily since it hasa double bond capable of reacting with maleic anhydride, etc., at themolecular chain ends.

Japanese Published Patent Application 87-129,303 A relates to narrowmolecular weight distribution (M_(w) /M_(n) <2.5) ethylene alpha-olefincopolymer waxes containing 85-99 mol. % ethylene, which are disclosed asbeing useful as dispersing agents, modifiers or materials to producetoners. The copolymers (having crystallinity of from 5-85%) are preparedin the presence of a catalyst system comprising Zr compounds having atleast one cycloalkadienyl group and alumoxane.

European Patent 128,046 discloses (co)polyolefin reactor blends ofpolyethylene and ethylene higher alpha-olefin copolymers prepared byemploying described dual-metallocene/alumoxane catalyst systems.

European Patent Publication 129,368 discloses metallocene/alumoxanecatalysts useful for the preparation of ethylene homopolymer andethylene higher alpha-olefin copolymers.

European Patent Application Publication 257,696 A1 relates to a processfor dimerizing alpha-olefins using a catalyst comprising certainmetallocene/alumoxane systems.

European Patent Publication 305,022 A1 relates to certain synthetichydrocarbon lubricating oil compositions containing a load-withstandingadditive and a liquid ethylene alpha-olefin random copolymer modified bygraft copolymerization with an unsaturated carboxylic acid or derivativethereof (e.g., maleic anhydride). The ethylene alpha-olefin copolymers(M_(n) of 300 to 12,000) are obtained using Ziegler catalysts (e.g.,catalyst formed from soluble V compound and an organo aluminumcompound), and are grafted in the presence of a free radical initiator.

PCT Published Patent Application WO 88/01626 relates to transition metalcompound/alumoxane catalysts for polymerizing alpha-olefins.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is directed to gel-free, oil-soluble lubricatingoil and fuel oil dispersant additives comprising α-olefin homopolymersand interpolymers, preferably ethylene α-olefin interpolymers, whereinthe number average molecular weight of the polymer is from about 700 toabout 10,000 and wherein at least about 30 percent of the polymer chainspossess terminal ethenylidene unsaturation, free radically grafted withmonounsaturated carboxylic acid producing moieties (preferably acid oranhydride moieties) and further reacted with at least one non-aromaticnucleophilic post-treating reactant selected from (i) amine compoundscontaining only a single reactive amino group per molecule, (ii) alcoholcompounds containing only a single hydroxy group per molecule, (iii)polyamine compounds containing at least two reactive amino groups permolecule, (iv) polyol compounds containing at least two reactive hydroxygroups per molecule, (v) aminoalcohol compounds containing at least onereactive amino group and at least one reactive hydroxy group permolecule, and (vi) mixtures of (i) to (v); provided that when saidpost-treating reactant includes one or more of (iii), (iv) or (v), thereaction between the grafted polymer and the post-treating reactant isconducted in the presence of sufficient chain-stopping or end-cappingco-reactant (C) to ensure that the grafted and post-reacted productmixture is gel-free.

The present invention, for the first time, makes it possible to ensure ahigher conversion of the starting polymer material to active dispersantwithout simultaneously increasing the risk of gelation and other adverseeffects, such as viscosity growth, which often accompany the addition ofsufficient free radically grafted acid moieties to raise the level ofactive dispersant in the product mixture to a commercially acceptablelevel.

The dispersant materials of the invention are different from the priorart because they contain a relatively higher level of active ingredientwith a reduced level of cross-linking than would be expected from freeradically grafted, post-reacted alpha-olefin dispersant additives. Thedispersant additives of the present invention also differ from those ofthe prior art in that the present dispersant additives optimize thedistribution of carboxylic acid producing moieties on the alpha-olefinpolymer backbone so as to minimize the amount of unreacted polymer, soas to minimize any tendency toward gelation and cross-linking, and so asto maximize the dispersant properties of the product mixture relative tothe cost of its production. In fuels, the additives serve to minimizethe degree of carburetor and fuel injector fouling from deposits. Inaddition, the additives of this invention posses superior viscometricproperties.

The process of this invention permits the preparation of lubricating oiland fuel dispersant additives which are simultaneously characterized bya high active ingredient content (usually at least about 60 wt. %, andup to about 95 wt. %) and by advantageous viscosity properties to permitthe additives to be readily handled. In addition, the process of thepresent invention can produce such dispersant additives in a highlyconcentrated form as substantially halogen free materials, therebyreducing the corrositivity, processing difficulties and environmentalconcerns which are associated with halogen-containing lubricating oiladditives.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION Alpha-Olefin Polymer

The polymers employed in this invention are homopolymers orinterpolymers of at least one C₃ to C₂₈ alpha-olefin having the formulaH₂ C═CHR¹ wherein R¹ is straight chain or branched chain alkyl radicalcomprising 1 to 26 carbon atoms and wherein the polymer preferablycontains a high degree of terminal ethenylidene, i.e., vinylidene,unsaturation. Preferably, the polymers employed in this inventioncomprise interpolymers of ethylene and at least one alpha-olefin of theabove formula, wherein R¹ is alkyl of from 1 to 18 carbon atoms, andmore preferably is alkyl of from 1 to 8 carbon atoms. In still otherembodiments of this invention, R¹ is alkyl of 1 to 2 carbon atoms.Therefore, useful alpha-olefin monomers and comonomers include, forexample, propylene, butene-1, hexene-1, octene-1, 4-methylpentene-1,decene-1, dodecene-1, tridecene-1, tetradecene-1, pentadecene-1,hexadecene-1, heptadecene-1, octadecene-1, nonadecene-1, and mixturesthereof (e.g., mixtures of propylene and butene-1, and the like).

Exemplary of such polymers are propylene homopolymers, butene-1homopolymers, ethylene-propylene copolymers, ethylene-butene-1copolymers and the like. Preferred polymers are copolymers of ethyleneand propylene and ethylene and butene-1.

Optionally, the interpolymers of this invention may contain a minoramount, e.g. 0.5 to 5 mole percent of a C₄ to C₁₈ non-conjugateddiolefin comonomer. However, it is preferred that the polymers of thisinvention comprise only alpha-olefin homopolymers, interpolymers ofalpha-olefin comonomers and interpolymers of ethylene and alpha-olefincomonomers.

The molar ethylene content of the polymers employed in this invention ispreferably in the range of between about 20 to about 80 percent, andmore preferably between about 30 to about 70 percent. When propyleneand/or butene-1 are employed as comonomer(s) with ethylene, the ethylenecontent of such copolymers is most preferably between about 45 and about65 percent, although higher or lower ethylene contents may be present.

The polymers employed in this invention generally possess a numberaverage molecular weight of from about 700 to about 10,000 (e.g., from1,000 to 8,000), preferably from about 800 to 5,500; more preferably offrom about 1,000 to 3,000 (e.g., from about 1,500 to about 2,500).Polymers having a number average molecular weight within the range offrom about 700 to 5,000 (e.g., 1,000 to 3,000) are particularly usefulin the present invention. The number average molecular weight for suchpolymers can be determined by several known techniques. A convenientmethod for such determination is by size exclusion chromatography (alsoknown as gel permeation chromatography (GPC)) which additionallyprovides molecular weight distribution information, see W. W. Yau, J. J.Kirkland and D. D. Bly, "Modern Size Exclusion Liquid Chromatography",John Wiley and Sons, New York, 1979.

Suitable polymers will typically have a narrow molecular weightdistribution (MWD), also referred to as polydispersity, as determined bythe ratio of weight average molecular weight (Mw) to number averagemolecular weight (Mn). Polymers having a Mw/Mn of less than 5,preferably less than 4, are most desirable. Suitable polymers have apolydispersity of, for example, from about 1 to about 5.

Consequently, such polymers generally possess an intrinsic viscosity (asmeasured in tetralin at 135° C.) of between about 0.025 and about 0.9dl/g, preferably of between about 0.05 and about 0.5 dl/g, mostpreferably of between about 0.075 and about 0.4 dl/g.

The polymers employed in this invention preferably exhibit a degree ofcrystallinity such that, when grafted, they are essentially amorphous.

The polymers employed in this invention, which are further characterizedin that up to about 95% and more of the polymer chains possess terminalethenylidene-type unsaturation, may be prepared by polymerizingalpha-olefin monomer, or mixtures of alpha-olefin monomers, or mixturescomprising ethylene and at least one C₃ to C₂₈ alpha-olefin monomer, inthe presence of a catalyst system comprising at least one metallocene(e.g., a cyclopentadienyl-transition metal compound) and an alumoxanecompound. Interpolymers of this latter type, which are the preferredinterpolymers for use in the invention, may be characterized by theformula POLY--C(R¹)═CH₂ wherein R¹ is C₁ to C₂₆ alkyl, preferably C₁ toC₁₈ alkyl, more preferably C₁ to C₈ alkyl, and most preferably C₁ to C₂alkyl, (e.g., methyl or ethyl) and wherein POLY represents the polymerchain. The chain length of the R¹ alkyl group will vary depending on thecomonomer(s) selected for use in the polymerization. A minor amount ofthe polymer chains can contain terminal ethenyl, i.e., vinyl,unsaturation, i.e. POLY--CH═CH₂, and a portion of the polymers cancontain internal monounsaturation, e.g. POLY--CH═CH(R¹), wherein R¹ isas defined above.

In the preferred polymers contemplated for use in this invention, atleast about 30 percent of the polymer chains possess terminalethenylidene, i.e., vinylidene, unsaturation. Preferably at least about50 percent, more preferably at least about 60 percent, and mostpreferably at least about 75 percent (e.g. 75-98%), of such polymerchains exhibit terminal ethenylidene unsaturation. The percentage ofpolymer chains exhibiting terminal ethenylidene unsaturation may bedetermined by FTIR spectroscopic analysis, titration, or C¹³ NMR.

The preferred terminally unsaturated interpolymer to be used in thisinvention may be prepared as described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,668,834, inEuropean Patent Publications 128,046 and 129,368, in U.S. Ser. No.728,111, filed Apr. 29, 1985, and in U.S. Ser. No. 93,460, filed Sep.10, 1987, the disclosures of all of which are hereby incorporated byreference in their entirety. Preferred polymers to be used in thisinvention also may be prepared as described in commonly assignedapplication Ser. Nos. 992,871, filed Dec. 17, 1992 (entitled "AmorphousOlefin Polymers, Copolymers, Methods of Preparation and DerivativesThereof"--Docket No. PT-915); 992,690, filed Dec. 17, 1992 (entitled"Dilute Feed Process for the Polymerization of Ethylene/α-OlefinCopolymer Using Metallocene Catalyst System"--Docket No. PT-937) and992,192, filed Dec. 17, 1992 (entitled "Polymers Derived From Ethyleneand 1-Butene for Use in the Preparation of Lubricant DispersantAdditives"--Docket No. PT-944), which have been filed on even dateherewith, and the disclosures of which have been incorporated herein byreference in their entirety.

The preferred interpolymers can be prepared by polymerizing monomermixtures comprising ethylene in combination with other monomers such asalpha-olefins having from 3 to 28 carbon atoms (and preferably from 3 to4 carbon atoms, i.e., propylene, butene-1, and mixtures thereof) in thepresence of a catalyst system comprising at least one metallocene (e.g.,a cyclopentadienyl-transition metal compound) and an alumoxane compound.The comonomer content can be controlled through the selection of themetallocene catalyst component and by controlling the partial pressureof the various monomers.

The catalysts employed in the production of the preferred polymers areorganometallic coordination compounds which are cyclopentadienylderivatives of a Group 4b metal of the Periodic Table of the Elements(56th Edition of Handbook of Chemistry and Physics, CRC Press [1975])and include mono, di and tricyclopentadienyls and their derivatives ofthe transition metals. Particularly desirable are the metallocenes of aGroup 4b metal such as titanium, zirconium, and hafnium. The alumoxanesemployed in forming the reaction product with the metallocenes arethemselves the reaction products of an aluminum trialkyl with water.

In general, at least one metallocene compound is employed in theformation of the catalyst. As indicated, supra, metallocene is a metalderivative of a cyclopentadiene. The metallocenes usefully employed inaccordance with this invention contain at least one cyclopentadienering. The metal is selected from Group 4b: preferably titanium,zirconium, and hafnium, and most preferably hafnium and zirconium. Thecyclopentadienyl ring can be unsubstituted or contain one or moresubstituents (e.g., from 1 to 5 substituents) such as, for example, ahydrocarbyl substituent (e.g., up to 5 C₁ to C₅ hydrocarbylsubstituents) or other substituents, e.g. such as, for example, atrialkyl silyl substituent. The metallocene can contain one, two, orthree cyclopentadienyl rings; however, two rings are preferred.

Useful metallocenes can be represented by the general formulas:

    (Cp).sub.m MR.sub.n X.sub.q                                I.

wherein Cp is a cyclopentadienyl ring, M is a Group 4b transition metal,R is a hydrocarbyl group or hydrocarboxy group having from 1 to 20carbon atoms, X is a halogen, and m is a whole number from 1 to 3, n isa whole number from 0 to 3, and q is a whole number from 0 to 3.

    (C.sub.5 R'.sub.k).sub.g R".sub.s (C.sub.5 R'.sub.k)MQ.sub.3-gII.

and

    R".sub.s (C.sub.5 R'.sub.k).sub.2 MQ'                      III.

wherein (C₅ R'_(k)) is a cyclopentadienyl or substitutedcyclopentadienyl, each R' is the same or different and is hydrogen or ahydrocarbyl radical such as alkyl, alkenyl, aryl, alkylaryl, orarylalkyl radical containing from 1 to 20 carbon atoms, a siliconcontaining hydrocarbyl radical, or hydrocarbyl radicals wherein twocarbon atoms are joined together to form a C₄ -C₆ ring, R" is a C₁ -C₄alkylene radical, a dialkyl germanium or silicon, or a alkyl phosphineor amine radical bridging two (C₅ R'_(k)) rings, Q is a hydrocarbylradical such as aryl, alkyl, alkenyl, alkylaryl, or aryl alkyl radicalhaving from 1-20 carbon atoms, hydrocarboxy radical having from 1-20carbon atoms or halogen and can be the same or different from eachother, Q' is an alkylidene radical having from 1 to about 20 carbonatoms, s is 0 or 1, g is 0, 1 or 2, s is 0 when g is 0, k is 4 when s is1, and k is 5 when s is 0, and M is as defined above. Exemplaryhydrocarbyl radicals are methyl, ethyl, propyl, butyl, amyl, isoamyl,hexyl, isobutyl, heptyl, octyl, nonyl, decyl, cetyl, 2-ethylhexyl,phenyl and the like. Exemplary silicon containing hydrocarbyl radicalsare trimethylsilyl, triethylsilyl and triphenylsilyl. Exemplary halogenatoms include chlorine, bromine, fluorine and iodine and of thesehalogen atoms, chlorine is preferred. Exemplary hydrocarboxy radicalsare methoxy ethoxy, butoxy, amyloxy and the like. Exemplary of thealkylidene radicals is methylidene, ethylidene and propylidene.

Illustrative, but non-limiting examples of the metallocenes representedby formula I are dialkyl metallocenes such asbis(cyclopentadienyl)titanium dimethyl, bis(cyclopentadienyl)titaniumdiphenyl, bis(cyclopentadienyl)zirconium dimethyl,bis(cyclopentadienyl)zirconium diphenyl, bis(cyclopentadienyl)hafniumdimethyl and diphenyl, bis(cyclopentadienyl)titanium di-neopentyl,bis(cyclopentadienyl)zirconium di-neopentyl,bis(cyclopentadienyl)titanium dibenzyl, bis(cyclopentadienyl)zirconiumdibenzyl, bis(cyclopentadienyl)vanadium dimethyl; the mono alkylmetallocenes such as bis(cyclopentadienyl)titanium methyl chloride,bis(cyclopentadienyl) titanium ethyl chloridebis(cyclopentadienyl)titanium phenyl chloride,bis(cyclopentadienyl)zirconium hydrochloride,bis(cyclopentadienyl)zirconium methyl chloride,bis(cyclopentadienyl)zirconium ethyl chloride,bis(cyclopentadienyl)zirconium phenyl chloride,bis(cyclopentadienyl)titanium methyl bromide,bis(cyclopentadienyl)titanium methyl iodide,bis(cyclopentadienyl)titanium ethyl bromide, bis(cyclopentadienyl)titanium ethyl iodide, bis(cyclopentadienyl)titanium phenyl bromide,bis(cyclopentadienyl)titanium phenyl iodide,bis(cyclopentadienyl)zirconium methyl bromide,bis(cyclopentadienyl)zirconium methyl iodide,bis(cyclopentadienyl)zirconium ethyl bromide,bis(cyclopentadienyl)zirconium ethyl iodide,bis(cyclopentadienyl)zirconium phenyl bromide,bis(cyclopentadienyl)zirconium phenyl iodide; the trialkyl metallocenessuch as cyclopentadienyltitanium trimethyl, cyclopentadienyl zirconiumtriphenyl, and cyclopentadienyl zirconium trineopentyl,cyclopentadienylzirconium trimethyl, cyclopentadienylhafnium triphenyl,cyclopentadienylhafnium trineopentyl, and cyclopentadienylhafniumtrimethyl.

Illustrative, but non-limiting examples of II and III metallocenes whichcan be usefully employed are monocyclopentadienyls titanocenes such as,pentamethylcyclopentadienyl titanium trichloride,pentaethylcyclopentadienyl titanium trichloride,bis(pentamethylcyclopentadienyl) titanium diphenyl, the carbenerepresented by the formula bis(cyclopentadienyl)titanium═CH₂ andderivatives of this reagent such asbis(cyclopentadienyl)Ti═CH₂.Al(CH₃)₃, (Cp₂ TiCH₂)₂, CP₂ TiCH₂CH(CH₃)CH₂, Cp₂ Ti--CH₂ CH₂ CH₂ ; substituted bis(Cp)Ti(IV) compoundssuch as bis(indenyl) titanium diphenyl or dichloride,bis(methylcyclopentadienyl)-titanium diphenyl or dihalides; dialkyl,trialkyl, tetra-alkyl and penta-alkyl cyclopentadienyl titaniumcompounds such as bis(1,2-dimethylcyclopentadienyl)titanium diphenyl ordichloride, bis(1,2-diethylcyclopentadienyl)titanium diphenyl ordichloride and other dihalide complexes; silicon, phosphine, amine orcarbon bridged cyclopentadiene complexes, such asdimethylsilyldicyclopentadienyl titanium diphenyl or dichloride, methylphosphine dicyclopentadienyl titanium diphenyl or dichloride,methylenedicyclopentadienyl titanium diphenyl or dichloride and othercomplexes described by formulae II and III.

Illustrative but non-limiting examples of the zirconocenes of formulaeII and III which can be usefully employed are,pentamethylcyclopentadienyl zirconium trichloride,pentaethylcyclopentadienyl zirconium trichloride, the alkyl substitutedcyclopentadienes, such as bis(ethylcyclopentadienyl)zirconium dimethyl,bis(betaphenylpropylcyclopentadienyl) zirconium dimethyl,bis(methylcyclopentadienyl)zirconium dimethyl,bis(n-butylcyclopentadienyl)zirconium dimethylbis(cyclohexylmethylcyclopentadienyl)zirconium dimethylbis(n-octylcyclopentadienyl)zirconium dimethyl, and haloalkyl anddihydride, and dihalide complexes of the above; dialkyl, trialkyl,tetra-alkyl, and penta-alkyl cyclopentadienes, such asbis(pentamethylcyclopentadienyl)zirconium diphenyl,bis(pentamethylcyclopentadienyl)zirconium dimethyl,bis(1,2-dimethylcyclopentadienyl)zirconium dimethyl and mono anddihalide and hydride complexes of the above; silicon, phosphorus, andcarbon bridged cyclopentadiene complexes such asdimethylsilyldicyclopentadienyl zirconium dimethyl, methyl halide ordihalide, and methylene dicyclopentadienyl zirconium dimethyl, methylhalide, or dihalide. Mono, di and trisilyl substituted cyclopentadienylcompounds such as bis(trimethylsilylcyclopentadienyl)zirconiumdichloride and dimethylbis(1,3-di-trimethylsilylcyclopentadienyl)zirconium dichloride anddimethyl and bis(1,2,4-tri-trimethylsilylcyclopentadienyl)zirconiumdichloride and dimethyl. Carbenes represented by the formulae Cp₂ Zr═CH₂P(C₆ H₅)₂ CH₃, and derivatives of these compounds such as Cp₂ ZrCH₂CH(CH₃)CH₂.

Mixed cyclopentadienyl metallocene compounds such as cyclopentadienyl(pentamethyl cyclopentadienyl)zirconium dichloride,(1,3-di-trimethylsilylcyclopentadienyl) (pentamethylcyclopentadienyl)zirconium dichloride, and cyclopentadienyl(indenyl) zirconium dichloridecan be employed.

Most preferably, the polymers used in this invention are substantiallyfree of ethylene homopolymer. Bis(cyclopentadienyl)hafnium dichloride,bis(cyclopentadienyl)hafnium; dimethyl, bis(cyclopentadienyl)vanadiumdichloride and the like are illustrative of other metallocenes.

Some preferred metallocenes are bis(cyclopentadienyl)zirconium dimethyl;bis(cyclopentadienyl)zirconium dichloride;bis(cyclopenta-dienyl)titanium dichloride; bis(methylcyclopentadienyl)zirconium dichloride; bis(methylcyclopentadienyl)titanium dichloride;bis(n-butylcyclopentadienyl) zirconium dichloride;dimethylsilyldicyclopentadienyl zirconium dichloride;bistrimethylsilycyclopentadienyl zirconium dichloride; anddimethylsilyldicyclopentadienyl titanium dichloride;bis(indenyl)zirconium dichloride;bis-(4,5,6,7-tetrahydroindenyl)zirconium dichloride; the racemic and/ormeso isomer of 1,2-ethylene-bridgedbis-(4,5,6,7-tetrahydroindenyl)zirconium dichloride; the racemic and/ormeso isomer of 1,1-dimethylsilyl-bridgedbis(4,5,6,7-tetrahydroindenyl)zirconium dichloride; and the racemicand/or meso isomer of 1,1-dimethylsilyl-bridgedbis(methylcyclopentadienyl)zirconium dichloride.

The alumoxane compounds useful in the polymerization process may becyclic or linear. Cyclic alumoxanes may be represented by the generalformula (R--Al--O)_(n) while linear alumoxanes may be represented by thegeneral formula R(R--Al--O)_(n) 'AlR₂. In the general formula R is a C₁-C₅ alkyl group such as, for example, methyl, ethyl, propyl, butyl andpentyl, n is an integer of from 3 to 20, and n' is an integer from 1 toabout 20. Preferably, R is methyl and n and n' are 4-18. Generally, inthe preparation of alumoxanes from, for example, aluminum trimethyl andwater, a mixture of the linear and cyclic compounds is obtained.

The alumoxane can be prepared in various ways. Preferably, they areprepared by contacting water with a solution of aluminum trialkyl, suchas, for examples, aluminum trimethyl, in a suitable organic solvent suchas toluene or an aliphatic hydrocarbon. For example, the aluminum alkylis treated with water in the form of a moist solvent. In an alternativemethod, the aluminum alkyl such as aluminum trimethyl can be desirablycontacted with a hydrated salt such as hydrated copper sulfate orferrous sulfate. Preferably, the alumoxane is prepared in the presenceof a hydrated ferrous sulfate. The method comprises treating a dilutesolution of aluminum trimethyl in, for example, toluene, with ferroussulfate represented by the general formula FeSO₄.7H₂ O. The ratio offerrous sulfate to aluminum trimethyl is desirably about 1 mole offerrous sulfate for 6 to 7 moles of aluminum trimethyl. The reaction isevidenced by the evolution of methane.

The mole ratio of aluminum in the alumoxane to total metal in themetallocenes which can be usefully employed can be in the range of about0.5:1 to about 1000:1, and desirably about 1:1 to about 100:1.Preferably, the mole ratio will be in the range of 50:1 to about 5:1 andmost preferably 20:1 to 5:1.

The solvents used in the preparation of the catalyst system are inerthydrocarbons, in particular a hydrocarbon that is inert with respect tothe catalyst system. Such solvents are well known and include, forexample, isobutane, butane, pentane, hexane, heptane, octane,cyclohexane, methylcyclohexane, toluene, xylene and the like.

Polymerization is generally conducted at temperatures ranging betweenabout 20° and about 300° C., preferably between about 30° and about 200°C. Reaction time is not critical and may vary from several hours or moreto several minutes or less, depending upon factors such as reactiontemperature, the monomers to be copolymerized, and the like. One ofordinary skill in the art may readily obtain the optimum reaction timefor a given set of reaction parameters by routine experimentation.

The catalyst systems described herein are suitable for thepolymerization of olefins in solution over a wide range of pressures.Preferably, the polymerization will be completed at a pressure of fromabout 10 to about 3,000 bar, and generally at a pressure within therange from about 40 bar to about 2,000 bar, and most preferably, thepolymerization will be completed at a pressure within the range fromabout 50 bar to about 1,500 bar.

After polymerization and, optionally, deactivation of the catalyst(e.g., by conventional techniques such as contacting the polymerizationreaction medium with water or an alcohol, such as methanol, propanol,isopropanol, etc., or cooling or flashing the medium to terminate thepolymerization reaction), the product polymer can be recovered byprocesses well known in the art. Any excess reactants may be flashed offfrom the polymer.

The polymerization may be conducted employing liquid monomer, such asliquid propylene, or mixtures of liquid monomers (such as mixtures ofliquid propylene and 1-butene, as the reaction medium. Alternatively,polymerization may be accomplished in the presence of a hydrocarboninert to the polymerization such as butane, pentane, isopentane, hexane,isooctane, decane, toluene, xylene, and the like.

In those situations wherein the molecular weight of the polymer productthat would be produced at a given set of operating conditions is higherthan desired, any of the techniques known in the prior art for controlof molecular weight, such as the use of hydrogen and/or polymerizationtemperature control, may be used in the process of this invention. If sodesired, the polymerization may be carried out in the presence ofhydrogen to lower the polymer molecular weight. Care should be taken,however, to assure that terminal ethenylidene unsaturation is notreduced below the preferred level of at least about 30 percent of thepolymer chains.

However, since the preferred polymers are reactive polymers possessingethenylidene-type terminal unsaturation, it is preferred to prepare thepolymers in the substantial absence of added H₂ gas, that is, theabsence of H₂ gas added in amounts effective to substantially reduce thepolymer molecular weight. More preferably, the polymerizations will beconducted employing less than 5 wppm, and more preferably less than 1wppm, of added H₂ gas, based on the moles of the ethylene monomercharged to the polymerization zone.

When carrying out the polymerization in a batch-type fashion, thereaction diluent (if any), ethylene and alpha-olefin comonomer(s) arecharged at appropriate ratios to a suitable reactor. Care must be takenthat all ingredients are dry, with the reactants typically being passedthrough molecular sieves or other drying means prior to theirintroduction into the reactor. Subsequently, either the catalyst andthen the cocatalyst, or first the cocatalyst and then the catalyst areintroduced while agitating the reaction mixture, thereby causingpolymerization to commence. Alternatively, the catalyst and cocatalystmay be premixed in a solvent and then charged to the reactor. As polymeris being formed, additional monomers may be added to the reactor. Uponcompletion of the reaction, unreacted monomer and solvent are eitherflashed or distilled off, if necessary by vacuum, and the low molecularweight copolymer withdrawn from the reactor.

The polymerization may be conducted in a continuous manner bysimultaneously feeding the reaction diluent (if employed), monomers,catalyst and cocatalyst to a reactor and withdrawing solvent, unreactedmonomer and polymer from the reactor so as to allow a residence time ofingredients long enough for forming polymer of the desired molecularweight and separating the polymer from the reaction mixture.

Preparation of Free-Radically Grafted Alpha-Olefin Polymer

In accordance with this invention, the alpha-olefin polymer is reactedwith monounsaturated carboxylic reactant to graft acid producingmoieties, i.e., acid, anhydride or acid ester, moieties onto the polymerbackbone. The monounsaturated carboxylic reactants suitable for usecomprise at least one member selected from the group consisting of (i)monounsaturated C₄ to C₁₀ dicarboxylic acid wherein (a) the carboxylgroups are vicinyl, (i.e. located on adjacent carbon atoms) and (b) atleast one, preferably both, of said adjacent carbon atoms are part ofsaid monounsaturation; (ii) derivatives of (i) such as anhydrides or C₁to C₅ alcohol derived mono- or diesters of (i); (iii) monounsaturated C₃to C₁₀ monocarboxylic acid wherein the carbon-carbon double bond isconjugated with the carboxy group, i.e. of the structure ##STR1## and(iv) derivatives of (iii) such as C₁ to C₅ alcohol derived mono- ordiesters of (iii). Upon reaction with the polymer, the monounsaturationof the monounsaturated carboxylic reactant becomes saturated. Thus, forexample, polymer graft reacted with maleic anhydride becomes polymersubstituted succinic anhydride, and polymer graft reacted with acrylicacid becomes polymer substituted propionic acid.

The monounsaturated carboxylic reactant, preferably maleic anhydride,typically will be used in an amount ranging from about 0.01 percent toabout 10 percent, preferably 0.1 to 2.0 percent, based on the weight ofthe polymer.

Normally, not all of the polymer reacts with the monounsaturatedcarboxylic reactant and the reaction mixture will contain unreactedpolymer. The unreacted polymer typically is not removed from thereaction mixture (because such removal is difficult and would becommercially infeasible) and the product mixture, stripped of anymonounsaturated carboxylic reactant, is employed for further reactionwith at least one nucleophilic reactant, i.e., amine, alcohol oraminoalcohol, and sometimes with end-capping reactant, as described morefully hereinafter, to make the dispersant additives of this invention.

Characterization of the average number of moles of monounsaturatedcarboxylic reactant which have reacted per mole of polymer charged tothe reaction (whether it has undergone reaction or not) is definedherein as functionality, and such functionality is based upon (i)determination of the saponification number of the resulting productmixture using potassium hydroxide; and (ii) the number average molecularweight of the polymer charged, using techniques well known in the art.Functionality is defined solely with reference to the resulting productmixture. Although the amount of said reacted polymer contained in theresulting product mixture can be subsequently modified, i.e. increasedor decreased by techniques known in the art, such modifications do notalter functionality as defined above. The terms "graftedethylene-alpha-olefin polymer" or "grafted olefin polymers" or the like,are intended to refer to the product mixture whether it has undergonesuch modification or not.

Accordingly, the functionality of the alpha-olefin polymer, which hasbeen graft reacted with the monounsaturated carboxylic reactant, will betypically at least about 0.5, preferably at least about 0.8, and mostpreferably at least about 0.9 and will vary typically from about 0.5 toabout 5 (e.g., 0.6 to 4), preferably from about 0.9 to about 3.

Exemplary of such monounsaturated carboxylic reactants are fumaric acid,itaconic acid, maleic acid, maleic anhydride, chloromaleic acid,chloromaleic anhydride, acrylic acid, methacrylic acid, crotonic acid,cinnamic acid, and lower alkyl (e.g., C₁ to C₄ alkyl) acid esters of theforegoing, e.g., methyl maleate, ethyl fumarate, methyl fumarate, etc.

The polymer can be reacted with the monounsaturated carboxylic reactantby a variety of methods. For example, the polymer, in solution or insolid form, may be grafted with the monounsaturated carboxylic reactantin the presence of a free-radical initiator. When performed in solution,the grafting takes place at an elevated temperature in the range ofabout 100° C. to 260° C., preferably about 120° C. to about 240° C.Preferably free-radical initiated grafting would be accomplished in amineral lubricating oil solution containing, e.g. 1 to 50, preferably 5to 30 wt. % polymer based on the initial total oil solution.

The free-radical initiators which may be used are peroxides,hydroperoxides, and azo compounds, preferably those which have a boilingpoint greater than about 100° C. and decompose thermally within thegrafting temperature range to provide free radicals. Representative ofthese free-radical initiators are azobutyronitrile,2,5-dimethylhex-3-ene-2,5-bis-tertiary-butyl peroxide and dicumeneperoxide. The initiator, when used, generally is used in an amount ofbetween about 0.005% and about 1% by weight based on the weight of thereaction mixture solution.

Typically, the aforesaid monounsaturated carboxylic reactant materialand free-radical initiator are used in a weight percent ratio range ofabout 1.0:1 to 30:1, preferably 3.0:1 to 6:1. The grafting is preferablycarried out in an inert atmosphere, such as under nitrogen blanketing.The resulting grafted polymer is characterized by having carboxylic acid(or anhydride) moieties randomly attached along the polymer chains; itbeing understood, of course, that some of the polymer chains remainungrafted. In the solid or melt process for forming a graft polymer, theunsaturated carboxylic reactant with the optional use of a radicalinitiator is grafted on molten copolymer using masticating or shearingequipment. The temperature of the molten material in this process mayrange from about 150°-400° C. Processes for free-radically graftingalpha-olefin polymers are described, for example, in U.S. Pat. Nos.4,505,834; 4,749,504 and 4,863,623; and in U.K. Published PatentApplication G.B. 2,055,852 A, the disclosures of which are incorporatedherein by reference. Methods for extruder grafting are disclosed incommonly assigned U.S. Ser. No. 989,289, filed on Dec. 11, 1992,entitled "Multiple Reaction Process In Melt Processing Equipment"(Docket Ref. No.: E-296), the disclosure of which is hereby incorporatedby reference.

In an alternative method of reacting the alpha-olefin polymer with themonounsaturated carboxylic reactant, the polymer is first halogenated,e.g., chlorinated or brominated, to about 1 to 8 wt % preferably 3 to 7wt. % chlorine, or bromine, based on the weight of polymer, by passingthe chlorine or bromine through the polymer at a temperature of 60° to250° C., preferably 110° to 160° C., e.g., 120° to 140° C., for about0.5 to 10, preferably 1 to 7 hours. The halogenated polymer is thenreacted with sufficient monounsaturated carboxylic reactant at 100° to250° C., usually about 180° C. to 235° C., for about 0.5 to 10, e.g., 3to 8 hours, such that the product obtained will contain the desirednumber of moles of the monounsaturated carboxylic reactant per mole ofthe halogenated polymer. Processes of this general type are taught inU.S. Pat. Nos. 3,087,436; 3,172,892; 3,272,746 and others.Alternatively, the polymer and the monounsaturated carboxylic reactantare mixed and heated while adding chlorine to the hot material.Processes of this type are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,215,707;3,231,587; 3,912,764; 4,110,349; 4,234,435; and in U.K. 1,440,219.

In this process, the selected polymer, monounsaturated carboxylicreactant, and free-radical initiator are contacted for a time and underconditions effective to form the desired alpha-olefin polymersubstituted mono- or dicarboxylic acid material. Generally, the polymer,monounsaturated carboxylic reactant, and free-radical initiator will becontacted in a polymer to unsaturated carboxylic reactant mole ratiousually from about 1:1 to 1:5, at an elevated temperature, generallyfrom about 100° to 260° C., preferably from about 120° to 240° C. Thereaction will be generally carried out, with stirring for a time of fromabout 1 to 20 hours, preferably from about 2 to 6 hours. The reaction ispreferably conducted in the substantial absence of O₂ and water (toavoid competing side reactions), and to this end can be conducted in anatmosphere of dry N₂ gas or other gas inert under the reactionconditions. The reactants can be charged separately or together as amixture to the reaction zone, and the reaction can be carried outcontinuously, semi-continuously or batchwise. Although not generallynecessary, the reaction can be carried out in the presence of a liquiddiluent or solvent, e.g., a hydrocarbon diluent such as minerallubricating oil, toluene, xylene, dichlorobenzene and the like. Thepolymer substituted mono- or dicarboxylic acid material thus formed canbe recovered from the liquid reaction mixture, e.g., after stripping thereaction mixture, if desired, with an inert gas such as N₂ to removeunreacted unsaturated carboxylic reactant.

The reaction product mixture thereby obtained has been surprisinglyfound to have a substantially reduced content of sediment or other solidby-products as impurities and can be employed, without filtration,centrifugation, clarification, phase separation or other conventionalproduct purification treatments, as intermediate in the preparation ofdispersant additive products for use in lubricating oils, as will bedescribed more completely hereinafter.

The preferred reaction product mixture is prepared either byfree-radically grafting ethylene-alpha-olefin polymer with mono- ordicarboxylic acid material. Therefore, the preferred reaction productmixture is further improved by being substantially free of chlorine,that is, by having a chlorine content of less than about 25 ppm byweight, preferably less than about 10 ppm by weight.

It will be understood that one aspect of this invention is the abilityto control, or at least to favorably alter, the statistical distributionof carboxylic acid (anhydride) substituents on the different polymerchains of the alpha-olefin polymer. For example, assuming a randomfree-radical grafting of maleic anhydride onto a copolymer ofethylene-1-butene (having a number average degree of polymerization of37.5, a number average molecular weight of 1400, an ethylene content of50 wt. %, and an average of at least 30% of its polymer chainscontaining terminal ethenylidene unsaturation), the number fraction(P_(n)) and weight fraction (P_(w)) of chains with "n" grafted anhydridegroups, given that there are an average of "m" anhydride groups perchain, are illustrated below in Tables I (m=1), II (m=2), III (m=3), IV(m=4) and V (m=5). Table VI (m=2) illustrates the results obtained usingthe thermal "ene" reaction to add one anhydride group to the end of eachcopolymer chain, followed by free-radical grafting.

                  TABLE I                                                         ______________________________________                                        (m = 1)                                                                       n              P.sub.n P.sub.w                                                ______________________________________                                        0              0.5000  0.2433                                                 1              0.2500  0.2500                                                 2              0.1250  0.1892                                                 3              0.0625  0.1267                                                 4              0.0313  0.0794                                                 5              0.0156  0.0477                                                 6              0.0078  0.0279                                                 7              0.0039  0.0159                                                 8              0.0020  0.0090                                                 ______________________________________                                    

                  TABLE II                                                        ______________________________________                                        (m = 2)                                                                       n              P.sub.n P.sub.w                                                ______________________________________                                        0              0.3333  0.1051                                                 1              0.2222  0.1462                                                 2              0.1481  0.1481                                                 3              0.0988  0.1326                                                 4              0.0658  0.1109                                                 5              0.0439  0.0890                                                 6              0.0293  0.0693                                                 7              0.0195  0.0529                                                 8              0.0130  0.0397                                                 ______________________________________                                    

                  TABLE III                                                       ______________________________________                                        (m = 3)                                                                       n              P.sub.n P.sub.w                                                ______________________________________                                        0              0.2500  0.0575                                                 1              0.1875  0.0913                                                 2              0.1406  0.1045                                                 3              0.1055  0.1055                                                 4              0.0791  0.0994                                                 5              0.0593  0.0898                                                 6              0.0445  0.0787                                                 7              0.0334  0.0676                                                 8              0.0250  0.0571                                                 ______________________________________                                    

                  TABLE IV                                                        ______________________________________                                        (m = 4)                                                                       n              P.sub.n P.sub.w                                                ______________________________________                                        0              0.2     0.035733                                               1              0.16    0.06144                                                2              0.128   0.075435                                               3              0.1024  0.081374                                               4              0.08192 0.08192                                                5              0.065536                                                                              0.078993                                               6              0.052429                                                                              0.07396                                                7              0.041943                                                                              0.06778                                                8              0.033554                                                                              0.061114                                               ______________________________________                                    

                  TABLE V                                                         ______________________________________                                        (m = 5)                                                                       n              P.sub.n P.sub.w                                                ______________________________________                                        0              0.166667                                                                              0.024074                                               1              0.138889                                                                              0.043827                                               2              0.115741                                                                              0.056327                                               3              0.096451                                                                              0.063443                                               4              0.080376                                                                              0.066622                                               5              0.06698 0.06698                                                6              0.055816                                                                              0.065367                                               7              0.046514                                                                              0.062432                                               8              0.038761                                                                              0.058659                                               ______________________________________                                    

                  TABLE VI                                                        ______________________________________                                        (m = 2)                                                                       n              P.sub.n P.sub.w                                                ______________________________________                                        0              0       0                                                      1              0.5     0.243333                                               2              0.25    0.25                                                   3              0.125   0.189167                                               4              0.0625  0.126667                                               5              0.03125 0.079375                                               6              0.015625                                                                              0.047708                                               7              0.007813                                                                              0.027865                                               8              0.003906                                                                              0.015938                                               ______________________________________                                    

Referring to Tables I-V, it can be seen that randomly grafting (byfree-radical initiation) at a level below an average of 1 anhydridegroup per polymer chain (m<1) would reduce the percent of polyfunctionalgelable product, but it would also significantly increase the level ofunreacted polymer. This, of course, would "waste" most of the startingpolymer as diluent. Similarly, while grafting an average of more than 3anhydride groups per polymer chain (m>3) would greatly reduce the amountof "wasted" (unreacted) polymer, it would unduly increase the amount ofgelable product. Referring to Table VI, it can be seen that when oneanhydride group is added to the end of the chain of the alpha-olefinpolymer by first conducting the thermal "ene" reaction, and thenadditional anhydride groups are grafted randomly along the polymerchains by subjecting the polymer to free-radical grafting, there will befew, if any, unfunctionalized polymer chains, as well as fewer highlyfunctionalized chains than when the polymer is subjected only tofree-radical grafting. Thus, using a combination of "ene" reaction andfree radical grafting will result in less wasted polymer, whilesimultaneously reducing the likelihood of gel formation.

However, even with the increased yields of alpha-olefin polymersubstituted with carboxylic acid producing material contemplated herein,the reaction product mixture comprising the desired grafted alpha-olefinpolymer (e.g., ethylene-propylene polymer-substituted with succinicanhydride) formed by the process of this invention generally willcontain some unreacted polymer, (that is, polymer which is unsubstitutedby carboxylic acid producing moieties). Generally, the concentration ofunreacted polymer will be less than about 40 wt. % (e.g., from 5 to 35wt. %), more preferably less than about 30 wt. % (e.g. from 10 to 25 wt.%), and even more preferably less than about 25 wt. %.

It will be understood that the alpha-olefin polymers of this inventionwhich are charged to the reaction zone can be charged alone or togetherwith (e.g., in admixture with) other polyalkenes derived from alkeneshaving from 1 to 20 carbon atoms (butene, pentene, octene, decene,dodecene, tetradodecene and the like) and homopolymers of C₃ to C₁₀,e.g., C₂ to C₅, monoolefins, and copolymers of C₂ to C₁₀, e.g., C₂ toC₅, monoolefins, said additional polymer having a number averagemolecular weight of at least about 900, and a molecular weightdistribution of less than about 4.0, preferably less than about 3.0(e.g., from 1.2 to 2.8). Preferred such additional olefin polymerscomprise a major molar amount of C₂ to C₁₀, e.g. C₂ to C₅ monoolefin.Such olefins include ethylene, propylene, butylene, isobutylene,pentene, octene-1, styrene, etc. Exemplary of the additionally chargedhomopolymers is polypropylene, polyisobutylene, and poly-n-butene thelike as well as interpolymers of two or more of such olefins such ascopolymers of: ethylene and propylene (prepared by conventional methodsother than as described above for the preferred ethylene alpha-olefincopolymers employed in this invention, that is, ethylene-propylenecopolymers which are substantially saturated, wherein less than about 10wt. % of the polymer chains contain ethylenic unsaturation); butyleneand isobutylene; propylene and isobutylene; etc. Other copolymersinclude those in which a minor molar amount of the copolymer monomers,e.g., 1 to 10 mole %, is a C₄ to C₁₈ non-conjugated diolefin, e.g., acopolymer of isobutylene and butadiene; etc. The additional such olefinpolymers charged to the reaction will usually have number averagemolecular weights of at least about 700, more generally within the range1200 and about 5,000, more usually between about 1500 and about 4,000.Particularly useful such additional olefin polymers have number averagemolecular eights within the range of about 1500 and about 3,000 withapproximately one double bond per chain. An especially useful additionalsuch polymer is polyisobutylene. Preferred are mixtures of suchpolyisobutylene with ethylene-propylene copolymers wherein at least 30wt. % of the copolymers chains contain terminal ethenylidenemonounsaturation as described above.

The number average molecular weight for such polymers can be determinedby several known techniques. A convenient method for such determinationis by gel permeation chromatography (GPC) which additionally providesmolecular weight distribution information, see W. W. Yau, J. J. Kirklandand D. D. Bly, "Modern Size Exclusion Liquid Chromatography", John Wileyand Sons, New York 1979.

Nucleophilic Post-Treating Reactants

The alpha-olefin polymer substituted with carboxylic acid producingmoieties, i.e., acid, anhydride or ester moieties, prepared as describedabove, can be contacted with a suitable nucleophilic post-treatingreactant to form the novel dispersants of this invention.

Suitable nucleophilic post-treating reactants include, for example, (i)amine compounds containing only a single reactive amino group permolecule, (ii) alcohol compounds containing only a single hydroxy groupper molecule, (iii) polyamine compounds containing at least two reactiveamino groups per molecule, (iv) polyol compounds containing at least tworeactive hydroxy groups per molecule, (v) aminoalcohol compoundscontaining at least one reactive amino group and at least one reactivehydroxy group per molecule, and (vi) mixtures of (i) to (v); providedthat when the post-treating reactant includes one or more of (iii), (iv)or (v), the reaction between the alpha-olefin polymer substituted withcarboxylic acid producing moieties and the nucleophilic post-treatingreactant must be conducted in the presence of sufficient chain-stoppingor end-capping co-reactant, such as a monoreactive amine or alcohol, ora C₁₂ -C₄₀₀ hydrocarbyl substituted succinic acid or anhydride, toensure that the grafted and post-reacted product mixture is gel-free.

The post-treating reactants of group (i), i.e. the amine compoundshaving a single reactive amino group, generally comprise from 2 to about60, preferably 2 to 40 (e.g. 3 to 20), total carbon atoms and about 1 to12, preferably 2 to 12, and most preferably 2 to 6 nitrogen atoms in themolecule. These amines may be hydrocarbyl amines or may be hydrocarbylamines including other groups, e.g., alkoxy groups, amide groups,nitrile, imidazoline groups, morpholine groups and the like. The aminesmay contain only one reactive (primary or secondary) amino group, and noother reactive groups may be present. As used in this disclosure, theterm "reactive groups" is meant to describe nucleophilic groups, such asprimary or secondary amino groups or hydroxy groups, which may reactwith the carboxylic acid producing moieties attached to the alpha-olefinpolymer, e.g., to for ester, amide, imide, oxazoline, etc., linkages. Byusing an amine having only a single reactive group as the nucleophilicreactant, cross-linking between the carboxylic acid (anhydride or ester)groups of the grafted alpha-olefin polymer will be avoided. Polyaminescontaining a single primary amino group and 1 or more tertiary aminogroups, such as N-(3-aminopropyl)morpholine, are the preferred amines ofgroup (i).

Non-limiting examples of suitable group (i) amine compounds includeN-(2-aminoethyl)morpholine; N,N-dimethylethylenediamine;N,N-diethylethylenediamine; N,N-dimethyl-1,3-propanediamine;N,N-diethyl-1,3-propanediamine; 4-aminomorpholine; 4-aminopyridine;N-(2-aminoethyl)piperidine; N-(2,-aminoethyl)oxazoline;N,N-dimethyl-1,3-propane diamine; N,N-dibutyl ethylenediame;N-(3-aminoproply) morpholine; and N-(aminomethyl)pyridine.

The post-treating reactants in group (ii), i.e., alcohol compoundshaving a single reactive hydroxy group per molecule, generally comprisefrom 4 to about 8 carbon atoms and include, for example, C₄ -C₈aliphatic alcohols such as butanol, pentanol and hexanol. The use ofalcohols having less than 4 carbon atoms generally is to be avoidedbecause of their low volatility. Alcohols having more than about 8carbon atoms generally are to be avoided since it is difficult to removeunreacted higher molecular weight alcohols from the post-reacted productand since the presence of unreacted higher molecular weight alcohols inthe product mixture can result in dispersant additives having lessfavorable viscometric properties.

The post-treating reactants of group (iii), i.e. polyamine compoundscontaining at least two reactive amino groups per molecule, generallycomprise from 2 to about 60, preferably 2 to 40 (e.g. 3 to 20), totalcarbon atoms and about 2 to 12, preferably 2 to 9, and most preferably 3to 9 nitrogen atoms per molecule. These amines may be hydrocarbyl aminesor may be hydrocarbyl amines including other groups, e.g., alkoxygroups, amide groups, nitrile, imidazoline groups, morpholine groups andthe like. Preferred amines of group (iii) are aliphatic saturatedamines, including those of the general formulas: ##STR2## wherein R, R',and R" are independently selected from the group consisting of hydrogen;C₁ to C₂₅ straight or branched chain alkyl radicals; C₁ to C₁₂ alkoxy C₂to C₆ alkylene radicals; and C₁ to C₁₂ alkylamino C₂ to C₆ alkyleneradicals; and wherein R" can additionally comprise a moiety of theformula: ##STR3## wherein R' is as defined above, and wherein r and r'can be the same or a different number of from 2 to 6, preferably 2 to 4;and t and t' can be the same or different and are numbers of from 0 to10, preferably 2 to 7, and most preferably about 3 to 7, with theproviso that the sum of t and t' is not greater than 10. To assure afacile reaction, it is preferred that R, R', R", r, r', t and t' beselected in a manner sufficient to provide the compounds of Formula Iwith typically at least one primary amino group, and at least one otherreactive primary or secondary amino group. This can be achieved byappropriately selecting said R, R', and R" groups to be hydrogen or byletting t in Formula I be at least one when R" is H or when the moietyof Formula II possesses a primary or secondary amino group. The mostpreferred amine compounds of the above type are those represented byFormula I which contain at least two primary amino groups and at leastone, and preferably at least three, secondary amino groups.

Non-limiting examples of suitable amine compounds of group (iii)include: 1,2-diaminoethane; 1,3-diaminopropane; 1,4-diaminobutane;1,6-diaminohexane; polyethylene amines such as diethylene triamine;triethylene tetramine; tetraethylene pentamine; polypropylene aminessuch as 1,2-propylene diamine; di-(1,2-propylene)triamine;di-(1,3-propylene) triamine; N,N-di-(2-aminoethyl) ethylene diamine;N-methyethylenediamine; N-ethylethylenediamine; N-dodecyl-1,3-propanediamine; di-, and tri-tallow amines and mixtures thereof.

Other useful group (iii) amine compounds include: alicyclic diaminessuch as 1,4-di(aminomethyl) cyclohexane, and heterocyclic nitrogencompounds such as imidazolines, and N-aminoalkyl piperazines of thegeneral formula (III): ##STR4## wherein p₁ and p₂ are the same ordifferent and are each integers of from 2 to 4, and n₁, n₂ and n₃ arethe same or different and are each integers of from 1 to 3. Non-limitingexamples of such amines include 2-pentadecyl imidazoline;N-(2-aminoethyl) piperazine; etc.

Commercial mixtures of amine compounds may advantageously be used. Forexample, one process for preparing alkylene amines involves the reactionof an alkylene dihalide (such as ethylene dichloride or propylenedichloride) with ammonia, which results in a complex mixture of alkyleneamines wherein pairs of nitrogens are joined by alkylene groups, formingsuch compounds as diethylene triamine, triethylene tetramine,tetraethylene pentamine and isomeric piperazines. Low costpoly(ethyleneamines) compounds averaging about 5 to 7 nitrogen atoms permolecule are available commercially under trade names such as "PolyamineH", "Polyamine 400", "Dow Polyamine E-100", etc

Useful group (iii) amines also include polyoxyalkylene polyamines suchas those of the formula (IV): ##STR5## where m has a value of about 3 to59 and preferably 10 to 35; and the formula (V): ##STR6## where n₄ has avalue of about 1 to 28 with the provision that the sum of all carbonatoms is from about 2 to about 60 and preferably from about 2 to about40, and R⁴ is a polyvalent saturated hydrocarbon radical of up to tencarbon atoms wherein the number of substituents on the R⁴ group isrepresented by the value of "a", which is a number of from 3 to 6. Thealkylene groups in either formula (IV) or (V) may be straight orbranched chains containing about 2 to 7, and preferably about 2 to 4carbon atoms.

The polyoxyalkylene polyamines of formulas (IV) or (V) above, preferablypolyoxyalkylene diamines and polyoxyalkylene triamines, may have averagemolecular weights ranging from about 200 to about 4000 and preferablyfrom about 400 to about 2000. The preferred polyoxyalkylene polyaminesinclude the polyoxyethylene and polyoxypropylene diamines and thepolyoxypropylene triamines having average molecular weights ranging fromabout 200 to 2000. The polyoxyalkylene polyamines are commerciallyavailable and may be obtained, for example, from the Jefferson ChemicalCompany, Inc. under the trade name "Jeffamines D-230, D-400, D-1000,D-2000, T-403", etc.

A particularly useful class of group (iii) amines comprise bis(p-aminocyclohexyl)methane (PACM) and oligomers and mixtures of PACM withisomers and analogs thereof containing on average, from 2 to 6 or higher(usually 3 to 4) cyclohexyl rings per PACM oligomer molecule. The PACMstructure can be represented by the formula: ##STR7## wherein x and yare the same or different and are integers of from 0 to 4, andpreferably from 0 to 2, and wherein the sum of x+y is from 1 to 4,preferably from 1 to 2.

The total nitrogen content of the PACM oligomers will comprise generallyfrom 8 to 16 wt. %, and preferably from 10 to 14 wt. %.

The PACM oligomers can be obtained, e.g., by fractionation, ordistillation, as a heavies by-product or bottoms from thePACM-containing product produced by high pressure catalytichydrogenation of methylene-dianiline. The hydrogenation of methylenedianiline and the separation of PACM oligomers from the resultinghydrogenation product can be accomplished by known means, including theprocesses disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,511,028; 2,606,924; 2,606,925;2,606,928; 3,914,307; 3,959,374; 4,293,687; 4,394,523, 4,448,995 and4,754,070, the disclosures of which are incorporated herein by referencein their entirety.

Still another useful class of group (iii) amines are the polyamido andrelated amines disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,857,217 and 4,956,107 (thedisclosures of which are hereby incorporated by reference in theirentirety), which comprise reaction products of a polyamine and an alpha,beta unsaturated compound of the formula: ##STR8## wherein X is sulfuror oxygen, Y is --OR⁸, --SR⁸, or --NR⁸ (R⁹), and R⁵, R⁶, R⁷, R⁸ and R⁹are the same or different and are hydrogen or substituted orunsubstituted hydrocarbyl. Any polyamine, whether aliphatic,cycloaliphatic, heterocyclic, etc., (but not aromatic) can be employedprovided it is capable of adding across the acrylic double bond andamidifying with for example the carbonyl group (--C(O)--) of theacrylate-type compound of formula VI, or with the thiocarbonyl group(--C(S)--) of the thioacrylate-type compound of formula VI.

When R⁵, R⁶, R⁷, R⁸ or R⁹ in Formula VI are hydrocarbyl, these groupscan comprise alkyl, cycloalkyl, or heterocyclic, which can besubstituted with groups which are substantially inert to any componentof the reaction mixture under conditions selected for preparation of theamido-amine. Such substituent groups include hydroxy, halide (e.g., Cl,Fl, I, Br), --SH and alkylthio. When one or more of R5 through R9 arealkyl, such alkyl groups can be straight or branched chain, and willgenerally contain from 1 to 20, more usually from 1 to 10, andpreferably from 1 to 4, carbon atoms. Illustrative of such alkyl groupsare methyl, ethyl, propyl, butyl, pentyl, hexyl, heptyl, octyl, nonyl,decyl, dodecyl, tridecyl, hexadecyl, octadecyl and the like.

When one or more of R⁵ and R⁹ are cycloalkyl, the cycloalkyl group willgenerally contain from 3 to 12 carbon atoms, and preferably from 3 to 6carbon atoms. Illustrative of such cycloalkyl groups are cyclopropyl,cyclobutyl, cyclohexyl, cyclooctyl, and cyclododecyl. When one or moreof R⁵ through R⁹ are heterocyclic, the heterocyclic group generallyconsists of a compound having at least one ring of 6 to 12 members inwhich one or more ring carbon atoms is replaced by oxygen or nitrogen.Examples of such heterocyclic groups are furyl, pyranyl, pyridyl,piperidyl, dioxanyl, tetrahydrofuryl, pyrazinyl and 1,4-oxazinyl.

The alpha, beta ethylenically unsaturated carboxylate compounds employedherein have the following formula: ##STR9## wherein R⁵, R⁶, R⁷, and R⁸are the same or different and are hydrogen or substituted orunsubstituted hydrocarbyl as defined above. Examples of such alpha,beta-ethylenically unsaturated carboxylate compounds of formula VII areacrylic acid, methacrylic acid, the methyl, ethyl, isopropyl, n-butyl,and isobutyl esters of acrylic and methacrylic acids, 2-butenoic acid,2-hexenoic acid, 2-decenoic acid, 3-methyl-2-heptenoic acid,3-methyl-2-butenoic acid, 3-cyclohexyl-2-butenoic acid,2-methyl-2-butenoic acid, 2-propyl-2-propenoic acid,2-isopropyl-2-hexenoic acid, 2,3-dimethyl-2-butenoic acid,3-cyclohexyl-2-methyl-2-pentenoic acid, 2-propenoic acid, methyl2-propenoate, methyl 2-methyl 2-propenoate, methyl 2-butenoate, ethyl2-hexenoate, isopropyl 2-decenoate, tertiary butyl 2-propenoate,octadecyl 2-propenoate, dodecyl 2-decenoate, cyclopropyl2,3-dimethyl-2-butenoate, and the like.

The alpha, beta ethylenically unsaturated carboxylate thioestercompounds employed herein have the following formula: ##STR10## whereinR⁵, R⁶, R⁷, and R⁸ are the same or different and are hydrogen orsubstituted or unsubstituted hydrocarbyl as defined above. Examples ofsuch alpha, beta-ethylenically unsaturated carboxylate thioesters offormula VIII are methylmercapto 2-butenoate, ethylmercapto 2-hexenoate,isopropylmercapto 2-decenoate, tertiary butylmercapto 2-propenoate,octadecylmercapto 2-propenoate, dodecylmercapto 2-decenoate,cyclopropylmercapto 2,3-dimethyl-2-butenoate, methylmercapto2-propenoate, methylmercapto 2-methyl-2-propenoate, and the like.

The alpha, beta ethylenically unsaturated carboxyamide compoundsemployed herein have the following formula: ##STR11## wherein R⁵, R⁶,R⁷, R⁸ and R⁹ are the same or different and are hydrogen or substitutedor unsubstituted hydrocarbyl as defined above. Examples of alpha,beta-ethylenically unsaturated carboxyamides of formula IX are2-butenamide, 2-hexenamide, 2-decenamide, 3-methyl-2-heptenamide,3-methyl-2-butenamide, 3-cyclohexyl-2-butenamide, 2-methyl-2-butenamide,2-propyl-2-propenamide, 2-isopropyl-2-hexenamide,2,3-dimethyl-2-butenamide, 3-cyclohexyl-2-methyl-2-pentenamide, N-methyl2-butenamide, N-methyl 2-butenamide, N,N-diethyl 2-hexenamide,N-isopropyl 2-decenamide, N-tertiary butyl 2-propenamide, N-octadecyl2-propenamide, N-N-didodecyl 2-decenamide, N-cyclopropyl2,3-dimethyl-2-butenamide, 2-propenamide, 2-methyl-2-propenamide,2-ethyl-2-propenamide and the like.

The alpha, beta ethylenically unsaturated thiocarboxylate compoundsemployed herein have the following formula: ##STR12## wherein R⁵, R⁶,R⁷, and R⁸ are the same or different and are hydrogen or substituted orunsubstituted hydrocarbyl as defined above. Examples of alpha,beta-ethylenically unsaturated thiocarboxylate compounds of formula Xare 2-butenthioic acid, 2-hexenthioic acid, 2-decenthioic acid,3-methyl-2-heptenthioic acid, 3-methyl-2-butenthioic acid,3-cyclohexyl-2-butenthioic acid, 2-methyl-2-butenthioic acid,2-propyl-2-propenthioic acid, 2-isopropyl-2-hexenthioic acid,2,3-dimethyl-2-butenthioic acid, 3-cyclohexyl-2-methyl-2-pententhioicacid, 2-propenthioic acid, methyl 2-propenthioate, methyl 2-methyl2-propenthioate, methyl 2-butenthioate, ethyl 2-hexenthioate, isopropyl2-decenthioate, tertiary butyl 2-propenthioate, octadecyl2-propenthioate, dodecyl 2-decenthioate, cyclopropyl2,3-dimethyl-2-butenthioate, and the like.

The alpha, beta ethylenically unsaturated dithioic acid and acid estercompounds employed herein have the following formula: ##STR13## whereinR⁵, R⁶, R⁷, and R⁸ are the same or different and are hydrogen orsubstituted or unsubstituted hydrocarbyl as defined above. Examples ofalpha, beta-ethylenically unsaturated dithioic acids and acid esters offormula XI are 2-butendithioic acid, 2-hexendithioic acid,2-decendithioic acid, 3-methyl-2-heptendithioic acid,3-methyl-2-butendithioic acid, 3-cyclohexyl-2-butendithioic acid,2-methyl-2-butendithioic acid, 2-propyl-2-propendithioic acid,2-isopropyl-2-hexendithioic acid, 2,3-dimethyl-2-butendithioic acid,3-cyclohexyl-2-methyl-2-pentendithioic acid, 2-propendithioic acid,methyl 2-propendithioate, methyl 2-methyl 2-propendithioate, methyl2-butendithioate, ethyl 2-hexendithioate, isopropyl 2-decendithioate,tertiary butyl 2-propendithioate, octadecyl 2-propendithioate, dodecyl2-decendithioate, cyclopropyl 2,3-dimethyl-2-butendithioate, and thelike.

The alpha, beta ethylenically unsaturated thiocarboxyamide compoundsemployed herein have the following formula: ##STR14## wherein R⁵, R⁶,R⁷, R⁸ and R⁹ are the same or different and are hydrogen or substitutedor unsubstituted hydrocarbyl as defined above. Examples of alpha,beta-ethylenically unsaturated thiocarboxyamides of formula XII are2-butenthioamide, 2-hexenthioamide, 2-decenthioamide,3-methyl-2-heptenthioamide, 3-methyl-2-butenthioamide,3-cyclohexyl-2-butenthioamide, 2-methyl-2-butenthioamide,2-propyl-2-propenthioamide, 2-isopropyl-2-hexenthioamide,2,3-dimethyl-2-butenthio-amide, 3-cyclohexyl-2-methyl-2-pententhioamide,N-methyl 2-butenthioamide, N,N-diethyl 2-hexenthioamide, N-isopropyl2-decenthioamide, N-tertiary butyl 2-propenthioamide, N-octadecyl2-propenthioamide, N-N-didodecyl 2-decenthioamide, N-cyclopropyl2,3-dimethyl-2-butenthioamide, 2-propenthioamide,2-methyl-2-propenthioamide, 2-ethyl-2-propenthioamide and the like.

Preferred compounds for reaction with the polyamines in accordance withthis invention are lower alkyl esters of acrylic and (lower alkyl)substituted acrylic acid. Illustrative of such preferred compounds arecompounds of the formula: ##STR15## where R⁷ is hydrogen or a C₁ to C₄alkyl group, such as methyl, and R⁸ is hydrogen or a C₁ to C₄ alkylgroup, capable of being removed so as to form an amido group, forexample, methyl, ethyl, propyl, isopropyl, butyl, sec-butyl, tert-butyl,aryl, hexyl, etc. In the preferred embodiments these compounds areacrylic and methacrylic esters such as methyl or ethyl acrylate, methylor ethyl methacrylate. When the selected alpha, beta-unsaturatedcompound comprises a compound of formula VI wherein X' is oxygen, theresulting reaction product with the polyamine contains at least oneamido linkage (--C(O)N<) and such materials are herein termed"amido-amines." Similarly, when the selected alpha, beta unsaturatedcompound of formula VI comprises a compound wherein X' is sulfur, theresulting reaction product with the polyamine contains thioamide linkage(--C(S)N<) and these materials are herein termed "thioamido-amines." Forconvenience, the following discussion is directed to the preparation anduse of amido-amines, although it will be understood that such discussionis also applicable to the thioamido-amines.

The type of amido-amine formed varies with reaction conditions. Forexample, a more linear amido-amine is formed where substantiallyequimolar amounts of the unsaturated carboxylate and polyamine arereacted. The presence of excesses of the ethylenically unsaturatedreactant of formula VI tends to yield an amido-amine which is morecross-linked than that obtained where substantially equimolar amounts ofreactants are employed. Where for economic or other reasons across-linked amido-amine using excess amine is desired, generally amolar excess of the ethylenically unsaturated reactant of about at least10%, such as 10-300%, or greater, for example, 25-200%, is employed. Formore efficient cross-linking an excess of carboxylated material shouldpreferably be used since a cleaner reaction ensues. For example, a molarexcess of about 10-100% or greater such as 10-50%, but preferably anexcess of 30-50%, of the carboxylated material. Larger excess can beemployed if desired.

In summary, without considering other factors, equimolar amounts ofreactants tend to produce a more linear amido-amine whereas excess ofthe formula VIII reactant tends to yield a more cross-linkedamido-amine. It should be noted that the higher the polyamine (i.e., thegreater the number of amino groups on the molecule) the greater thestatistical probability of cross-linking since, for example, atetraalkylenepentamine, such as tetraethylene pentamine ##STR16## hasmore labile hydrogens than ethylene diamine.

These amido-amine adducts so formed are characterized by both amido andamino groups. In their simplest embodiments they may be represented byunits of the following idealized formula (XV): ##STR17## wherein the R¹⁰'s, which may be the same or different, are hydrogen or a substitutedgroup, such as a hydrocarbon group, for example, alkyl, alkenyl oralkynyl, and A is a moiety of the polyamine which, for example, may becycloalkyl, alkyl, etc.(excluding aromatic hydrocarbyl), and n4 is aninteger such as 1-10 or greater.

The above simplified formula represents a linear amido-amine polymer.However, cross-linked polymers may also be formed by employing certainconditions since the polymer has labile hydrogens which can furtherreact with either the unsaturated moiety by adding across the doublebond or by amidifying with a carboxylate group.

Preferably, however, the amido-amines employed in this invention are notcross-linked to any substantial degree, and more preferably aresubstantially linear.

Preferably, the polyamine reactant contains at least one primary amine(and more preferably from 2 to 4 primary amines) group per molecule, andthe polyamine and the unsaturated reactant of formula VI are contactedin an amount of from about 1 to 10, more preferably from about 2 to 6,and most preferably from about 3 to 5, equivalents of primary amine inthe polyamine reactant per mole of the unsaturated reactant of formulaVI.

The reaction between the selected polyamine and acrylate-type compoundis carried out at any suitable temperature. Temperatures up to thedecomposition points of reactants and products can be employed. Inpractice, one generally carries out the reaction by heating thereactants below 100° C., such as 80°-90° C., for a suitable period oftime, such as a few hours. Where an acrylic-type ester is employed, theprogress of the reaction can be judged by the removal of the alcohol informing the amide. During the early part of the reaction alcohol isremoved quite readily below 100° C. in the case of low boiling alcoholssuch as methanol or ethanol. As the reaction slows, the temperature israised to push the polymerization to completion and the temperature maybe raised to 150° C. toward the end of the reaction. Removal of alcoholis a convenient method of judging the progress and completion of thereaction which is generally continued until no more alcohol is evolved.Based on removal of alcohol, the yields are generally stoichiometric. Inmore difficult reactions, yield of at least 95% are generally obtained.

Similarly, it will be understood that the reaction of an ethylenicallyunsaturated carboxylate thioester of formula VIII liberates thecorresponding HSR⁸ compound (e.g., H₂ S when R⁸ is hydrogen) as aby-product, and the reaction of an ethylenically unsaturatedcarboxyamide of formula IX liberates the corresponding HNR⁸ (R⁹)compound (e.g., ammonia when R⁸ and R⁹ are each hydrogen) as by-product.

The reaction time involved can vary widely depending on a wide varietyof factors. For example, there is a relationship between time andtemperature. In general, lower temperature demands longer times.usually, reaction times of from about 2 to 30 hours, such as 5 to 25hours, and preferably 3 to 10 hours will be employed.

Although one can employ a solvent, the reaction can be run without theuse of any solvent. In fact, where a high degree of cross-linking isdesired, it is preferable to avoid the use of a solvent and mostparticularly to avoid a polar solvent such as water. However, takinginto consideration the effect of solvent on the reaction, where desired,any suitable solvent can be employed, whether organic or inorganic,polar or non-polar.

The post-treating reactants in group (iv), i.e. the polyol compoundscontaining at least two reactive hydroxy groups, generally comprise upto about 100 carbon atoms and from 2 to about 10, and preferably 3 toabout 8 hydroxy groups per molecule. These polyols can be quite diversein structure and chemical composition. For example, they can besubstituted or unsubstituted, hindered or unhindered, branched chain orstraight chain, etc. as desired. Typical polyols are alkylene glycolssuch as ethylene glycol, propylene glycol, trimethylene glycol, butyleneglycol, and polyglycol such as diethylene glycol, triethylene glycol,tetraethylene glycol, dipropylene glycol, tripropylene glycol,dibutylene glycol, tributylene glycol, and other alkylene glycols andpolyalkylene glycols in which the alkylene radical contains from two toabout eight carbon atoms. Other useful polyhydric alcohols includeglycerol, monomethyl ether of glycerol, pentaerythritol,dipentaerythritol, tripentaerythritol, 9,10-dihydroxy-stearic acid, theethyl ester of 9,10-dihydroxystearic acid, 3-chloro-1, 2-propanediol,1,2-butanediol, 1,4-butanediol, 2,3-hexanediol, 2,3-hexanediol, pinacol,tetrahydroxy pentane, erythritol, arabitol, sorbitol, mannitol,1,2-cyclohexanediol, 1,4-cyclohexanediol,1,4-(2-hydroxyethyl)-cyclohexane, 1,4-dihydroxy-2-nitrobu-tane,1,4-di(2-hydroxyethyl)-benzene, the carbohydrates such as glucose, andthe like, copolymer of allyl alcohol and styrene, etc.

Included among the polyols which may be employed are the cyclicpoly(methylol) compounds, such as 2,2,6,6-tetramethylol cyclohexanol,tetrahydro-3,3,5,5-tetrakis-(hydroxymethyl)-4-pyranol andtetrahydro-3,3,5-tris-(hydroxymethyl)-5-methyl-4-pyranol; and yetanother class of useful polyol reactants include heterocyclic polyols ofthe formula ##STR18## wherein R¹, R², R³, and R⁴ are the same ordifferent and are selected from the group consisting of H, alkyl and--CH(OH)(R⁵) wherein R⁵ is hydrogen or C₁ to C₁₀ alkyl, and wherein Xand Y are the same or different and are H or alkyl of from 1 to 10carbon atoms with the proviso that at least one of R¹, R², R³ and R⁴ isthe --CH(OH)R⁵ moiety.

When R¹, R², R³ or R⁴ is alkyl, the alkyl group will generally containfrom 1 to 10 carbon atoms, preferably 1 to 3 carbon atoms. Exemplary ofsuch alkyl groups are methyl, ethyl, propyl, isopropyl, butyl, isobutyl,pentyl, 3-methylbutyl, hexyl, nonyl, heptyl, decyl, isodecyl, and thelike.

The R⁵ alkyl substituent in the --CH(OH)(R⁵) moiety may be straightchain or branched chain. Preferably R⁵ is C₁ to C₅ alkyl, with C₁ to C₃alkyl being more preferred. Exemplary of such moieties are: --CH₂ OH,--CH(OH)CH₃, --CH(OH)C₂ H₅, --CH(OH)C₃ H₇, CH(OH)C₄ H₉, --CH(OH)C₅ H₁₁,OCH(OH)C₆ H₁₃, --CH(OH)C₇ H₁₅, --CH(OH)C₈ H₁₇, --CH(OH)C₉ H₁₉,--CH(OH)C₁₀ H₂₁ and the like.

The above-discussed heterocyclic polyols and cyclic poly(methylol)compounds are described more fully in U.S. Pat. No. 4,797,219, thedisclosure of which is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.

The post-treating reactants in group (v), i.e. aminoalcohol compoundshaving at least one reactive amino group and at least one reactivehydroxy group per molecule, include aminoalcohol compounds containing upto about 50 total carbon atoms, preferably up to about 10 total carbonatoms, from about 1 to about 5 nitrogen atoms, preferably from 1 to 3nitrogen atoms, and from about 1 to about 15 hydroxyl groups, preferablyfrom 1 to about 5 hydroxyl groups. Preferred aminoalcohol compoundsinclude the 2,2-disubstituted-2-amino-1-alkanols having from two tothree hydroxy groups and containing a total of 4 to 8 carbon atoms.These preferred aminoalcohol compounds can be represented by theformula: ##STR19## wherein X is an alkyl or hydroxyalkyl group with thealkyl groups having from 1 to 3 carbon atoms wherein at least one, andpreferably both, of the X substituents is a hydroxyalkyl group of thestructure --(CH₂)_(n) OH, n being 1 to 3. Examples of such aminoalcohols include: 2-amino-2-methyl-1,3 propanediol,2-amino-2-ethyl-1,3-propanediol, and 2-amino-2-(hydroxymethyl)1,3-propanediol, the latter also being known as THAM ortris(hydroxymethyl)amino methane. THAM is particularly preferred becauseof its effectiveness, availability and low cost.

The post-treating reactants (i)-(v) may be used alone or in admixturewith one another. However, as will be discussed more fully hereinbelow,when the post-treating reactant comprises a polyfunctional compound,i.e. a compound containing more than one reactive group, regardless ofwhether such reactive group is an amino group or a hydroxy group, it isnecessary to use sufficient chain-stopping or end-capping reactant incombination with the polyfunctional post-treating reactant to ensurethat the grafted and post-reacted product mixture will be gel-free.

Chain-Stopping Reactant

The chain-stopping or end-capping reactants contemplated for use in thisinvention include monofunctional reactants which are capable of reactingwith reactive amine groups or reactive hydroxy groups present in thepolyfunctional post-treating reactants of groups (ii)-(v) or with theacid producing groups which are grafted or otherwise attached to thealpha-olefin polymer to inhibit cross linking and gelation and/orviscosity increase due to any further reaction of unreacted amino groupsor hydroxy groups in the grafted and aminated or esterified alpha-olefinpolymer. Preferred chain-stopping or end-capping reactants include, forexample, hydrocarbyl substituted dicarboxylic anhydride or acid,preferably succinic anhydride or acid, having from about 12 to 400carbons in the hydrocarbyl group; long chain monocarboxylic acid of theformula RCOOH where R is a hydrocarbyl group of 12 to 400 carbons in thehydrocarbyl group; alcohol compounds of the type described above inconnection with the nucleophilic post-treating reactants of group (ii),i.e., alcohol compounds having only a single hydroxy group per molecule;and amine compounds of the type described above in connection with thepost-treating reactants of group (i), i.e., amine compounds having onlya single reactive amine group per molecule. The hydrocarbyl groups areessentially aliphatic and include alkenyl and alkyl groups. The longerchain acids and anhydrides are preferred, particularly when the graftingreaction is carried out in lubricating oil because of their ability toimpart dispersancy to reacted oil molecules as well as their greatersolubilizing effect. In one preferred embodiment, the chain-stopping orend-capping reactant comprises a C₁₂ to C₄₉ hydrocarbyl substitutedsuccinic anhydride, e.g. a C₁₂ to C₁₈ hydrocarbyl substituted succinicanhydride. In other preferred embodiments, the hydrocarbyl substituentcontains from 50 to about 400 carbon atoms.

Primarily because of its ready availability and low cost, thehydrocarbyl portion, e.g. alkenyl groups, of the carboxylic acid oranhydride is preferably derived from a polymer of a C₂ to C₅ monoolefin,said polymer generally having a molecular weight of about 140 to 6500,e.g. 700 to about 5000, most preferably 700 to 3000 molecular weight.Particularly preferred polymer is polyisobutylene. Particularlypreferred chain-stopping reactants include polyisobutylene succinicanhydride wherein the number average molecular weight of thepolyisobutylene portion is from about 700 to about 2500.

Pre-Reacted Post-Treating Reactant/Chain-Stopping Reactant

The aforesaid nucleophilic post-treating reactants (iii)-(v) having morethan one reactive amino and/or hydroxy group and the chain-stopping orend-capping reactants may be pre-reacted with the chain-stopping orend-capping reactant generally being attached to the post-treatingreactant through salt, imide, amide amidine, ester, or other linkages sothat a single reactive group of the post-treating reactant is stillavailable for reaction with the acid producing moieties of the graftedpolymer.

A convenient source of these prereacted materials are the well-knownlubricating oil dispersants, provided they retain reactive amine and/orhydroxy groups capable of further reaction with the grafted polymer.

Usually, these dispersants are made by condensing a hydrocarbylsubstituted monocarboxylic acid or a dicarboxylic acid, having about 50to 400 carbons in the hydrocarbyl substituent, preferably a succinicacid producing material such as alkenyl succinic anhydride, with apolyamine, polyol or aminoalcohol, including those described above aspost-treating reactants (iii)-(v).

Monocarboxylic acid dispersants have been described in U.K. PatentSpecification No. 983,040. There, polyamines are reacted with the highmolecular weight monocarboxylic acid derived from a polyolefin, such aspolyisobutylene, by oxidation with nitric acid or oxygen; or by additionof halogen to the polyolefin followed by hydrolyzing and oxidation; etc.Another method is taught in Belgian Pat. No. 658,236 where polyolefin,such as the polymers of C₂ to C₅ monoolefin, e.g. polypropylene orpolyisobutylene, is halogenated, e.g. chlorinated, and then condensedwith an alpha, beta-unsaturated, monocarboxylic acid of from 3 to 8,preferably 3 to 4, carbon atoms, e.g. acrylic acid, alpha-methyl-acrylicacid, i.e., 2-methyl propanoic acid, crotonic acid, etc., and thenreacted with polyamine.

Formation of dicarboxylic acid dispersant by reaction of an amine withalkenyl succinic anhydride prepared from the reaction of a polyolefin orchlorinated polyolefin and maleic anhydride, etc. is well known in theart, as seen, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 3,272,746.

Most preferred are the lubricating oil dispersants made by reaction ofthe aforesaid saturated aliphatic amines of formula I with alkenylsuccinic anhydride.

Reaction, preferably amination and/or imidation and/or esterification ofthe carboxylic acid material is usefully done as a solution reactionwith the acid material, usually polyisobutenyl succinic anhydridedissolved in a solvent such as mineral oil to which the other reactantis added. The formation of the dispersants in high yield can be effectedby adding from about 0.5 to 3.3, preferably about 0.7 to 1.3, mostpreferably about 1 to 1 molar proportions of the alkylene polyamine,polyol or aminoalcohol per molar proportion of alkenyl succinicanhydride to said solution and heating the mixture at 140° C. to 165° C.or higher until the appropriate amount of water of reaction is evolved.Typically the mineral oil solvent is adjusted so that it constitutes 50%by weight of the final dicarboxylic acid dispersant compound solution.

Reaction of Polymer Substituted Mono- and Dicarboxylic Acid Materialwith Post-Treating Reactant

From the foregoing description, it is apparent that the selected polymergrafted with acid producing moieties, e.g., ethylene-propylene copolymersubstituted succinic anhydride, can be reacted with any individualpost-treating reactant (or post-treating reactant and chain-stopping orend-capping reactant) or any combination of two or more of any of thesereactants; that is, for example, one or more monoreactive amines,monoreactive alcohols, polyamines, polyols and/or aminoalcohols can beused, so long as sufficient monoreactive reactant is used when areactant having more than one reactive group is used to ensure agel-free reaction.

The reaction between the polymer grafted with acid producing moietiesand the nucleophilic post-treating and/or chain-stopping or end-cappingreactants is readily accomplished, for example, by heating a solutioncontaining 5 to 95 wt. percent of the grafted polymer in a substantiallyinert organic solvent or diluent at about 100° to 250° C., preferably125° to 175° C., generally for 1 to 10, e.g., 2 to 6 hours until thedesired amount of water is removed.

Suitable diluents include, for example, aliphatic, cycloaliphatic, andaromatic hydrocarbons, as well as the corresponding halogenatedhydrocarbons, particularly chlorinated hydrocarbons. These diluents areexemplified by benzene, toluene, xylene, chlorobenzenes, hexane,heptane, or mixtures of these. Mineral oils particularly low viscositymineral oils are very good diluents. Preferred diluents are mineral oilsof lubricating viscosity.

Reaction ratios of polymer substituted with carboxylic acid material toequivalents of amine reactant, as well as the other nucleophilicpost-treating reactants and chain-stopping or end-capping reactantsdescribed herein, can vary considerably, depending, e.g., on thereactants and type of bonds formed. Generally, when an amine compound orother nucleophilic reactant, is reacted with a polymer substituted withcarboxylic acid material, i.e., polymer containing carboxylic acidproducing moieties derived from any of the above monounsaturatedcarboxylic acids, or anhydride or ester derivatives thereof, from about0.05 to 4.0, preferably from about 0.5 to 2.0, e.g., 0.6 to 1.5, molesof carboxylic acid moiety content (e.g., grafted maleic anhydridecontent) is used, per equivalent of nucleophilic reactant.

Canadian Patent 956,397 is expressly incorporated herein by referencefor its disclosure of procedures for reacting amines with thealpha-olefin polymer substituted with carboxylic acid producingmoieties. All that is required to apply the processes of that patent tothis invention is to substitute, on an equivalent weight basis, thealpha-olefin polymer substituted with carboxylic acid producing moietiesof this invention for the high molecular weight carboxylic acidacylating agents disclosed in that Canadian patent, and to make certainthat a sufficient amount of monoreactive nucleophilic reactant isemployed to ensure that the reaction product mixture is gel-free.Dispersant additives of this invention prepared utilizing the processesgenerally described in the Canadian patent constitute a preferred classof compositions. The following U.S. patents are also incorporated hereinby reference, being counterparts of the incorporated Canadian patent,for the same reasons given for incorporating the Canadian patent: U.S.Pat. Nos. 3,836,469; 3,836,470; 3,836,471; 3,838,050; 3,838,052;3,879,308; 3,957,854; 3,957,855.

A preferred group of ashless dispersants, in accordance with the presentinvention, are those derived from ethylene-propylene copolymer orethylene-butene-1 copolymer substituted with succinic anhydride groupsand reacted with polyethylene amines, e.g., tetraethylene pentamine,pentaethylene hexamine, polyoxyethylene or polyoxypropylene amines,e.g., polyoxypropylene diamine, and with polyisobutylene succinicanhydride chain-stopping reactant.

Another preferred group of ashless dispersants are those derived fromethylene-propylene or ethylene-butene-1 copolymer substituted withsuccinic anhydride groups and reacted with monofunctional heterocyclicamines, e.g., N-(3-aminopropyl)morpholine.

Oleaginous Compositions

The dispersants of the present invention can be incorporated into alubricating oil (or a fuel) in any convenient way. Thus, thesedispersants can be added directly to the lubricating oil (or fuel) bydispersing or dissolving the same in the lubricating oil (or fuel) atthe desired level of concentration of the dispersant. Such blending intothe additional lubricating oil (or fuel) can occur at room temperatureor elevated temperatures. Alternatively, the dispersants can be blendedwith a suitable oil-soluble solvent/diluent (such as benzene, xylene,toluene, lubricating base oils and petroleum distillates, including thevarious normally liquid fuels described in detail below) to form aconcentrate, and then blending the concentrate with a lubricating oil(or fuel) to obtain the final formulation. Such dispersant concentrateswill typically contain (on an active ingredient (A.I.) basis) from about3 to about 45 wt. %, and preferably from about 10 to about 35 wt. %,dispersant additive, and typically from about 30 to 90 wt. %, preferablyfrom about 40 to 60 wt. %, base oil, based on the concentrate weight.

When the products of this invention are incorporated into crude oilrefinery process streams and other hydrocarbon fluid process streams,they function as antifoulants and will be generally used, e.g., inamounts of up to 100 ppm, e.g., 5 to 50 ppm, in the same manner as themacrocyclic polyamine additive as described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,569,750,the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference, in itsentirety.

The dispersant products of the present invention possess very gooddispersant properties as measured herein in a wide variety ofenvironments. Accordingly, the dispersant products are used byincorporation and dissolution into an oleaginous materials such as fuelsand lubricating oils. When the dispersant products of this invention areused in normally liquid petroleum fuels such as middle distillatesboiling from about 65° to 430° C., including kerosene, diesel fuels,home heating fuel oil, jet fuels, etc., a concentration of the additivesin the fuel in the range of typically from about 0.001 to about 0.5, andpreferably 0.005 to about 0.15 weight percent, based on the total weightof the composition, will usually be employed. The properties of suchfuels are well known as illustrated, for example, by ASTM SpecificationsD #396-73 (Fuel Oils) and D #439-73 (Gasolines) available from theAmerican Society for Testing Materials ("ASTM"), 1916 Race Street,Philadelphia, Pa. 19103.

The fuel compositions of this invention can contain, in addition to theproducts of this invention, other additives which are well known tothose of skill in the art. These can include anti-knock agents such astetraalkyl lead compounds, lead scavengers such as haloalkanes, depositpreventers or modifiers such as triaryl phosphates, dyes, cetaneimprovers, antioxidants such as 2,6-ditertiary-butyl-4-methylphenol,rust inhibitors, bacteriostatic agents, gum inhibitors, metaldeactivators, upper cylinder lubricants and the like.

The dispersant products of the present invention find their primaryutility in lubricating oil compositions which employ a base oil in whichthe additives are dissolved or dispersed. Such base oils may be naturalor synthetic. Base oils suitable for use in preparing the lubricatingoil compositions of the present invention include those conventionallyemployed as crankcase lubricating oils for spark-ignited andcompression-ignited internal combustion engines, such as automobile andtruck engines, marine and railroad diesel engines, and the like.Advantageous results are also achieved by employing the additivemixtures of the present invention in base oils conventionally employedin and/or adapted for use as power transmitting fluids, universaltractor fluids and hydraulic fluids, heavy duty hydraulic fluids, powersteering fluids and the like. Gear lubricants, industrial oils, pumpoils and other lubricating oil compositions can also benefit from theincorporation therein of the additive mixtures of the present invention.

These lubricating oil formulations conventionally contain severaldifferent types of additives that will supply the characteristics thatare required in the formulations. Among these types of additives areincluded viscosity index improvers, antioxidants, corrosion inhibitors,detergents, dispersants, pour point depressants, antiwear agents,friction modifiers, and other ashless dispersant (e.g., polyisobutenylsuccinimides) and borated derivatives thereof), etc.

In the preparation of lubricating oil formulations it is common practiceto introduce the additives in the form of 10 to 80 wt. %, e.g., 20 to 80wt. % active ingredient concentrates in hydrocarbon oil, e.g. minerallubricating oil, or other suitable solvent. Usually these concentratesmay be diluted with 3 to 100, e.g., 5 to 40 parts by weight oflubricating oil, per part by weight of the additive package, in formingfinished lubricants, e.g. crankcase motor oils. The purpose ofconcentrates, of course, is to make the handling of the variousmaterials less difficult and awkward as well as to facilitate solutionor dispersion in the final blend. Thus, a dispersant would be usuallyemployed in the form of a 40 to 50 wt. % concentrate, for example, in alubricating oil fraction.

The ashless dispersants of the present invention will be generally usedin admixture with a lube oil basestock, comprising an oil of lubricatingviscosity, including natural and synthetic lubricating oils and mixturesthereof.

Natural oils include animal oils and vegetable oils (e.g., castor, lardoil) liquid petroleum oils and hydrorefined, solvent-treated oracid-treated mineral lubricating oils of the paraffinic, naphthenic andmixed paraffinic-naphthenic types. Oils of lubricating viscosity derivedfrom coal or shale are also useful base oils.

Alkylene oxide polymers and interpolymers and derivatives thereof wherethe terminal hydroxyl groups have been modified by esterification,etherification, etc., constitute another class of known syntheticlubricating oils. These are exemplified by polyoxyalkylene polymersprepared by polymerization of ethylene oxide or propylene oxide, thealkyl and aryl ethers of these polyoxyalkylene polymers (e.g.,methylpoly isopropylene glycol ether having an average molecular weightof 1000, diphenyl ether of poly-ethylene glycol having a molecularweight of 500-1000, diethyl ether of polypropylene glycol having amolecular weight of 1000-1500); and mono- and polycarboxylic estersthereof, for example, the acetic acid esters, mixed C₃ -C₈ fatty acidesters and C₁₃ Oxo acid diester of tetraethylene glycol.

Another suitable class of synthetic lubricating oils comprises theesters of dicarboxylic acids (e.g., phthalic acid, succinic acid, alkylsuccinic acids and alkenyl succinic acids, maleic acid, azelaic acid,suberic acid, sebasic acid, fumaric acid, adipic acid, linoleic aciddimer, malonic acid, alkylmalonic acids, alkenyl malonic acids) with avariety of alcohols (e.g., butyl alcohol, hexyl alcohol, dodecylalcohol, 2-ethylhexyl alcohol, ethylene glycol, diethylene glycolmonoether, propylene glycol). Specific examples of these esters includedibutyl adipate, di(2-ethylhexyl)sebacate, di-n-hexyl fumarate, dioctylsebacate, diisooctyl azelate, diisodecyl azelate, dioctyl phthalate,didecyl phthalate, dieicosyl sebacate, the 2-ethylhexyl diester oflinoleic acid dimer, and the complex ester formed by reacting one moleof sebacic acid with two moles of tetraethylene glycol and two moles of2-ethylhexanoic acid.

Esters useful as synthetic oils also include those made from C₅ to C₁₂monocarboxylic acids and polyols and polyol ethers such as neopentylglycol, trimethylolpropane, pentaerythritol, dipentaerythritol andtripentaerythritol.

Silicon-based oils such as the polyalkyl-, polyaryl-, polyalkoxy-, orpolyaryloxysiloxane oils and silicate oils comprise another useful classof synthetic lubricants; they include tetraethyl silicate,tetraisopropyl silicate, tetra-(2-ethylhexyl)silicate,tetra-(4-methyl-2-ethylhexyl)silicate,tetra-(p-tertbutylphenyl)silicate, hexa-(4-methyl-2-pentoxy)disiloxane,poly(methyl)siloxanes and poly(methylphenyl)siloxanes. Other syntheticlubricating oils include liquid esters of phosphorus-containing acids(e.g., tricresyl phosphate, trioctyl phosphate, diethyl ester ofdecylphosphonic acid) and polymeric tetrahydrofurans.

Unrefined, refined and rerefined oils can be used in the lubricants ofthe present invention. Unrefined oils are those obtained directly from anatural or synthetic source without further purification treatment. Forexample, a shale oil obtained directly from retorting operations, apetroleum oil obtained directly from distillation or ester oil obtaineddirectly from an esterification process and used without furthertreatment would be an unrefined oil. Refined oils are similar to theunrefined oils except they have been further treated in one or morepurification steps to improve one or more properties. Many suchpurification techniques, such as distillation, solvent extraction, acidor base extraction, filtration and percolation are known to thoseskilled in the art. Rerefined oils are obtained by processes similar tothose used to obtain refined oils applied to refined oils which havebeen already used in service. Such rerefined oils are also known asreclaimed or reprocessed oils and often are additionally processed bytechniques for removal of spent additives and oil breakdown products.

Metal containing rust inhibitors and/or detergents are frequently usedwith ashless dispersants. Such detergents and rust inhibitors includethe metal salts of sulphonic acids, alkyl phenols, sulphurized alkylphenols, alkyl salicylates, naphthenates, and other oil soluble mono-and di-carboxylic acids. Highly basic, that is overbased metal saltswhich are frequently used as detergents appear particularly prone tointeraction with the ashless dispersant. Usually these metal containingrust inhibitors and detergents are used in lubricating oil in amounts ofabout 0.01 to 10, e.g. 0.1 to 5 wt. %, based on the weight of the totallubricating composition. Marine diesel lubricating oils typically employsuch metal-containing rust inhibitors and detergents in amounts of up toabout 20 wt. %.

Highly basic alkaline earth metal sulfonates are frequently used asdetergents. They are usually produced by heating a mixture comprising anoil-soluble sulfonate or alkaryl sulfonic acid, with an excess ofalkaline earth metal compound above that required for completeneutralization of any sulfonic acid present and thereafter forming adispersed carbonate complex by reacting the excess metal with carbondioxide to provide the desired overbasing. The sulfonic acids aretypically obtained by the sulfonation of alkyl substituted aromatichydrocarbons such as those obtained from the fractionation of petroleumby distillation and/or extraction or by the alkylation of aromatichydrocarbons as for example those obtained by alkylating benzene,toluene, xylene, naphthalene, diphenyl and the halogen derivatives suchas chlorobenzene, chlorotoluene and chloronaphthalene. The alkylationmay be carried out in the presence of a catalyst with alkylating agentshaving from about 3 to more than 30 carbon atoms. For examplehaloparaffins, olefins obtained by dehydrogenation of paraffins,polyolefins produced from ethylene, propylene, etc. are all suitable.The alkaryl sulfonates usually contain from about 9 to about 70 or morecarbon atoms, preferably from about 16 to about 50 carbon atoms peralkyl substituted aromatic moiety.

The alkaline earth metal compounds which may be used in neutralizingthese alkaryl sulfonic acids to provide the sulfonates includes theoxides and hydroxides, alkoxides, carbonates, carboxylate, sulfide,hydrosulfide, nitrate, borates and ethers of magnesium, calcium, andbarium. Examples are calcium oxide, calcium hydroxide, magnesium acetateand magnesium borate. As noted, the alkaline earth metal compound isused in excess of that required to complete neutralization of thealkaryl sulfonic acids. Generally, the amount ranges from about 100 to220%, although it is preferred to use at least 125%, of thestoichiometric amount of metal required for complete neutralization.

Various other preparations of basic alkaline earth metal alkarylsulfonates are known, such as U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,150,088 and 3,150,089wherein overbasing is accomplished by hydrolysis of analkoxide-carbonate complex with the alkaryl sulfonate in a hydrocarbonsolvent-diluent oil.

A preferred alkaline earth sulfonate additive is magnesium alkylaromatic sulfonate having a total base number ranging from about 300 toabout 400 with the magnesium sulfonate content ranging from about 25 toabout 32 wt. %, based upon the total weight of the additive systemdispersed in mineral lubricating oil.

Neutral metal sulfonates are frequently used as rust inhibitors.Polyvalent metal alkyl salicylate and naphthenate materials are knownadditives for lubricating oil compositions to improve their hightemperature performance and to counteract deposition of carbonaceousmatter on pistons (U.S. Pat. No. 2,744,069). An increase in reservebasicity of the polyvalent metal alkyl salicylates and naphthenates canbe realized by utilizing alkaline earth metal, e.g. calcium, salts ofmixtures of C₈ -C₂₆ alkyl salicylates and phenates (see U.S. Pat. No.2,744,069) or polyvalent metal salts of alkyl salicyclic acids, saidacids obtained from the alkylation of phenols followed by phenation,carboxylation and hydrolysis (U.S. Pat. No. 3,704,315) which could thenbe converted into highly basic salts by techniques generally known andused for such conversion. The reserve basicity of these metal-containingrust inhibitors is usefully at TBN levels of between about 60 and 150.Included with the useful polyvalent metal salicylate and naphthenatematerials are the methylene and sulfur bridged materials which arereadily derived from alkyl substituted salicylic or naphthenic acids ormixtures of either or both with alkyl substituted phenols. Basicsulfurized salicylates and a method for their preparation is shown inU.S. Pat. No. 3,595,791. Such materials include alkaline earth metal,particularly magnesium, calcium, strontium and barium salts of aromaticacids having the general formula:

    HOOC--ArR.sub.1 --X.sub.y (ArR.sub.1 OH).sub.n             (XVI)

where Ar is an aryl radical of 1 to 6 rings, R₁ is an alkyl group havingfrom about 8 to 50 carbon atoms, preferably 12 to 30 carbon atoms(optimally about 12), X is a sulfur (--S--) or methylene (--CH₂ --)bridge, y is a number from 0 to 4 and n is a number from 0 to 4.

Preparation of the overbased methylene bridged salicylate-phenate saltis readily carried out by conventional techniques such as by alkylationof a phenol followed by phenation, carboxylation, hydrolysis, methylenebridging a coupling agent such as an alkylene dihalide followed by saltformation concurrent with carbonation. An overbased calcium salt of amethylene bridged phenol-salicylic acid of the general formula (XVII):##STR20## with a TBN of 60 to 150 is highly useful in this invention.

The sulfurized metal phenates can be considered the "metal salt of aphenol sulfide" which thus refers to a metal salt whether neutral orbasic, of a compound typified by the general formula (XVIII): ##STR21##where x=1 or 2, n=0, 1 or 2; or a polymeric form of such a compound,where R is an alkyl radical, n and x are each integers from 1 to 4, andthe average number of carbon atoms in all of the R groups is at leastabout 9 in order to ensure adequate solubility in oil. The individual Rgroups may each contain from 5 to 40, preferably 8 to 20, carbon atoms.The metal salt is prepared by reacting an alkyl phenol sulfide with asufficient quantity of metal containing material to impart the desiredalkalinity to the sulfurized metal phenate.

Regardless of the manner in which they are prepared, the sulfurizedalkyl phenols which are useful generally contain from about 2 to about14% by weight, preferably about 4 to about 12 wt. % sulfur based on theweight of sulfurized alkyl phenol.

The sulfurized alkyl phenol may be converted by reaction with a metalcontaining material including oxides, hydroxides and complexes in anamount sufficient to neutralize said phenol and, if desired, to overbasethe product to a desired alkalinity by procedures well known in the art.Preferred is a process of neutralization utilizing a solution of metalin a glycol ether.

The neutral or normal sulfurized metal phenates are those in which theratio of metal to phenol nucleus is about 1:2. The "overbased" or"basic" sulfurized metal phenates are sulfurized metal phenates whereinthe ratio of metal to phenol is greater than that of stoichiometric,e.g. basic sulfurized metal dodecyl phenate has a metal content up toand greater than 100% in excess of the metal present in thecorresponding normal sulfurized metal phenates wherein the excess metalis produced in oil-soluble or dispersible form (as by reaction withCO2). The overbased sulfurized metal phenates desirably have a TBN valueof at least 150, e.g. from 200 to 300.

Magnesium and calcium containing additives although beneficial in otherrespects can increase the tendency of the lubricating oil to oxidize.This is especially true of the highly basic sulphonates.

According to a preferred embodiment the invention therefore provides acrankcase lubricating composition also containing from 2 to 8000 partsper million of calcium or magnesium.

The magnesium and/or calcium is generally present as basic or neutraldetergents such as the sulphonates and phenates, our preferred additivesare the neutral or basic magnesium or calcium sulphonates. Preferablythe oils contain from 500 to 5000 parts per million of calcium ormagnesium. Basic magnesium and calcium sulphonates are preferred.

A particular advantage of the novel dispersants of the present inventionis use with V.I improvers to form multi-grade automobile enginelubricating oils. Viscosity modifiers impart high and low temperatureoperability to the lubricating oil and permit it to remain relativelyviscous at elevated temperatures and also exhibit acceptable viscosityor fluidity at low temperatures. Viscosity modifiers are generally highmolecular weight hydrocarbon polymers including polyesters. Theviscosity modifiers may also be derivatized to include other propertiesor functions, such as the addition of dispersancy properties. These oilsoluble viscosity modifying polymers will generally have number averagemolecular weights of from 10³ to 10⁶, preferably 10⁴ to 10⁶, e.g.,20,000 to 250,000, as determined by gel permeation chromatography orosmometry.

Examples of suitable hydrocarbon polymers include homopolymers andcopolymers of two or more monomers of C₂ to C₃₀, e.g. C₂ to C₈ olefins,including both alpha olefins and internal olefins, which may be straightor branched, aliphatic, aromatic, alkylaromatic, cycloaliphatic, etc.Frequently they will be of ethylene with C₃ to C₃₀ olefins, particularlypreferred being the copolymers of ethylene and propylene. Other polymerscan be used such as polyisobutylenes, homopolymers and copolymers of C₆and higher alpha olefins, atactic polypropylene, hydrogenated polymersand copolymers and terpolymers of styrene, e.g., with isoprene and/orbutadiene and hydrogenated derivatives thereof. The polymer may bedegraded in molecular weight, for example by mastication, extrusion,oxidation or thermal degradation, and it may be oxidized and containoxygen. Also included are derivatized polymers such as post-graftedinterpolymers of ethylene-propylene with an active monomer such asmaleic anhydride which may be further reacted with an alcohol, or amine,e.g. an alkylene polyamine or hydroxy amine, e.g. see U.S. Pat. Nos.4,089,794; 4,160,739; 4,137,185; or copolymers of ethylene and propylenereacted or grafted with nitrogen compounds such as shown in U.S. Pat.Nos. 4,068,056; 4,068,058; 4,146,489 and 4,149,984.

The preferred hydrocarbon polymers are ethylene copolymers containingfrom 15 to 90 wt. % ethylene, preferably 30 to 80 wt. % of ethylene and10 to 85 wt. %, preferably 20 to 70 wt. % of one or more C₃ to C₂₈,preferably C₃ to C₁₈, more preferably C₃ to C₈, alpha-olefins. While notessential, such copolymers preferably have a degree of crystallinity ofless than 25 wt. %, as determined by X-ray and differential scanningcalorimetry. Copolymers of ethylene and propylene are most preferred.Other alpha-olefins suitable in place of propylene to form thecopolymer, or to be used in combination with ethylene and propylene, toform a terpolymer, tetrapolymer, etc., include 1-butene, 1-pentene,1-hexene, 1-heptene, 1-octene, 1-nonene, 1-decene, etc.; also branchedchain alpha-olefins, such as 4-methyl-1-pentene, 4-methyl-1-hexene,5-methylpentene-1, 4,4-dimethyl-1-pentene, and 6-methylheptene-1, etc.,and mixtures thereof.

Terpolymers, tetrapolymers, etc., of ethylene, said C₃₋₂₈ alpha-olefin,and a non-conjugated diolefin or mixtures of such diolefins may also beused. The amount of the non-conjugated diolefin generally ranges fromabout 0.5 to 20 mole percent, preferably from about 1 to about 7 molepercent, based on the total amount of ethylene and alpha-olefin present.

The polyester V.I. improvers are generally polymers of esters ofethylenically unsaturated C₃ to C₈ mono- and dicarboxylic acids such asmethacrylic and acrylic acids, maleic acid, maleic anhydride, fumaricacid, etc.

Examples of unsaturated esters that may be used include those ofaliphatic saturated mono alcohols of at least 1 carbon atom andpreferably of from 12 to 20 carbon atoms, such as decyl acrylate, laurylacrylate, stearyl acrylate, eicosanyl acrylate, docosanyl acrylate,decyl methacrylate, diamyl fumarate, lauryl methacrylate, cetylmethacrylate, stearyl methacrylate, and the like and mixtures thereof.

Other esters include the vinyl alcohol esters of C₂ to C₂₂ fatty or monocarboxylic acids, preferably saturated such as vinyl acetate, vinyllaurate, vinyl palmitate, vinyl stearate, vinyl oleate, and the like andmixtures thereof. Copolymers of vinyl alcohol esters with unsaturatedacid esters such as the copolymer of vinyl acetate with dialkylfumarates, can also be used.

The esters may be copolymerized with still other unsaturated monomerssuch as olefins, e.g. 0.2 to 5 moles of C₂ -C₂₀ aliphatic or aromaticolefin per mole of unsaturated ester, or per mole of unsaturated acid oranhydride followed by esterification. For example, copolymers of styrenewith maleic anhydride esterified with alcohols and amines are known,e.g., see U.S. Pat. No. 3,702,300.

Such ester polymers may be grafted with, or the ester copolymerizedwith, polymerizable unsaturated nitrogen-containing monomers to impartdispersancy to the V.I. improvers. Examples of suitable unsaturatednitrogen-containing monomers include those containing 4 to 20 carbonatoms such as amino substituted olefins asp-(beta-diethylaminoethyl)styrene; basic nitrogen-containingheterocycles carrying a polymerizable ethylenically unsaturatedsubstituent, e.g. the vinyl pyridines and the vinyl alkyl pyridines suchas 2-vinyl-5-ethyl pyridine, 2-methyl-5-vinyl pyridine,2-vinyl-pyridine, 4-vinylpyridine, 3-vinyl-pyridine,3-methyl-5-vinyl-pyridine, 4-methyl-2-vinyl-pyridine,4-ethyl-2-vinyl-pyridine and 2-butyl-1-5-vinyl-pyridine and the like.

N-vinyl lactams are also suitable, e.g. N-vinyl pyrrolidones or N-vinylpiperidones.

The vinyl pyrrolidones are preferred and are exemplified by N-vinylpyrrolidone, N-(1-methylvinyl) pyrrolidone, N-vinyl-5-methylpyrrolidone, N-vinyl-3, 3-dimethylpyrrolidone, N-vinyl-5-ethylpyrrolidone, etc.

Dihydrocarbyl dithiophosphate metal salts are frequently used asanti-wear agents and also provide antioxidant activity. The zinc saltsare most commonly used in lubricating oil in amounts of 0.1 to 10,preferably 0.2 to 2 wt. %, based upon the total weight of thelubricating oil composition. They may be prepared in accordance withknown techniques by first forming a dithiophosphoric acid, usually byreaction of an alcohol or a phenol with P₂ S₅ and then neutralizing thedithiophosphoric acid with a suitable zinc compound.

Mixtures of alcohols may be used including mixtures of primary andsecondary alcohols, secondary generally for imparting improved anti-wearproperties, with primary giving improved thermal stability properties.Mixtures of the two are particularly useful. In general, any basic orneutral zinc compound could be used but the oxides, hydroxides andcarbonates are most generally employed. Commercial additives frequentlycontain an excess of zinc due to use of an excess of the basic zinccompound in the neutralization reaction.

The zinc dihydrocarbyl dithiophosphates useful in the present inventionare oil soluble salts of dihydrocarbyl esters of dithiophosphoric acidsand may be represented by the following formula: ##STR22## wherein R andR' may be the same or different hydrocarbyl radicals containing from 1to 18, preferably 2 to 12 carbon atoms and including radicals such asalkyl, alkenyl, aryl, aralkyl, alkaryl and cycloaliphatic radicals.Particularly preferred as R and R' groups are alkyl groups of 2 to 8carbon atoms. Thus, the radicals may, for example, be ethyl, n-propyl,i-propyl, n-butyl, i-butyl, sec-butyl, amyl, n-hexyl, i-hexyl, n-octyl,decyl, dodecyl, octadecyl, 2-ethylhexyl, phenyl, butylphenyl,cyclohexyl, methylcyclopentyl, propenyl, butenyl, etc. In order toobtain oil solubility, the total number of carbon atoms (i.e., R and R'in formula XIX) in the dithiophosphoric acid will generally be about 5or greater.

The antioxidants useful in this invention include oil soluble coppercompounds. The copper may be blended into the oil as any suitable oilsoluble copper compound. By oil soluble we mean the compound is oilsoluble under normal blending conditions in the oil or additive package.The copper compound may be in the cuprous or cupric form. The copper maybe in the form of the copper dihydrocarbyl thio- or dithio-phosphateswherein copper may be substituted for zinc in the compounds andreactions described above although one mole of cuprous or cupric oxidemay be reacted with one or two moles of the dithiophosphoric acid,respectively. Alternatively the copper may be added as the copper saltof a synthetic or natural carboxylic acid. Examples include C₁₀ to C₁₈fatty acids such as stearic or palmitic, but unsaturated acids such asoleic or branched carboxylic acids such as napthenic acids of molecularweight from 200 to 500 or synthetic carboxylic acids are preferredbecause of the improved handling and solubility properties of theresulting copper carboxylates. Also useful are oil soluble copperdithiocarbamates of the general formula (RR'NCSS)nCu, where n is 1 or 2and R and R' are the same or different hydrocarbyl radicals containingfrom 1 to 18 and preferably 2 to 12 carbon atoms and including radicalssuch as alkyl, alkenyl, aryl, aralkyl, alkaryl and cycloaliphaticradicals. Particularly preferred as R and R' groups are alkyl groups of2 to 8 carbon atoms. Thus, the radicals may, for example, be ethyl,n-propyl, i-propyl, n-butyl, i-butyl, sec-butyl, amyl, n-hexyl, i-hexyl,n-heptyl, n-octyl, decyl, dodecyl, octadecyl, 2-ethylhexyl, phenyl,butylphenyl, cyclohexyl, methylcyclopentyl, propenyl, butenyl, etc. Inorder to obtain oil solubility, the total number of carbon atoms (i.e.,R and R') will generally be about 5 or greater. Copper sulphonates,phenates, and acetylacetonates may also be used.

Exemplary of useful copper compounds are copper (Cu^(I) and/or Cu^(II))salts of alkenyl succinic acids or anhydrides. The salts themselves maybe basic, neutral or acidic. They may be formed by reacting (a) any ofthe materials above discussed ashless dispersants which have at leastone free carboxylic acid (or anhydride) group with (b) a reactive metalcompound. Suitable acid (or anhydride) reactive metal compounds includethose such as cupric or cuprous hydroxides, oxides, acetates, borates,and carbonates or basic copper carbonate.

Examples of the metal salts of this invention are Cu salts ofpolyisobutenyl succinic anhydride (hereinafter referred to as Cu-PIBSA),and Cu salts of polyisobutenyl succinic acid. Preferably, the selectedmetal employed is its divalent form, e.g., Cu⁺². The preferredsubstrates are polyalkenyl succinic acids in which the alkenyl group hasa molecular weight greater than about 700. The alkenyl group desirablyhas a M_(n) from about 900 to 1400, and up to 2500, with a M_(n) ofabout 950 being most preferred. Especially preferred is polyisobutylenesuccinic acid (PIBSA). These materials may desirably be dissolved in asolvent, such as a mineral oil, and heated in the presence of a watersolution (or slurry) of the metal bearing material. Heating may takeplace between 70° and about 200° C. Temperatures of 110° to 140° C. areentirely adequate. It may be necessary, depending upon the saltproduced, not to allow the reaction to remain at a temperature aboveabout 140° C. for an extended period of time, e.g., longer than 5 hours,or decomposition of the salt may occur.

The copper antioxidants (e.g., Cu-PIBSA, Cu-oleate, or mixtures thereof)will be generally employed in an amount of from about 50-500 ppm byweight of the metal, in the final lubricating composition.

The copper antioxidants used in this invention are inexpensive and areeffective at low concentrations and therefore do not add substantiallyto the cost of the product. The results obtained are frequently betterthan those obtained with previously used antioxidants, which areexpensive and used in higher concentrations. In the amounts employed,the copper compounds do not interfere with the performance of othercomponents of the lubricating composition, in many instances, completelysatisfactory results are obtained when the copper compound is the soleantioxidant in addition to the ZDDP. The copper compounds can beutilized to replace part or all of the need for supplementaryantioxidants. Thus, for particularly severe conditions it may bedesirable to include a supplementary, conventional antioxidant. However,the amounts of supplementary antioxidant required are small, far lessthan the amount required in the absence of the copper compound.

While any effective amount of the copper antioxidant can be incorporatedinto the lubricating oil composition, it is contemplated that sucheffective amounts be sufficient to provide said lube oil compositionwith an amount of the copper antioxidant of from about 5 to 500 (morepreferably 10 to 200, still more preferably 10 to 180, and mostpreferably 20 to 130 (e.g., 90 to 120)) part per million of added copperbased on the weight of the lubricating oil composition. Of course, thepreferred amount may depend amongst other factors on the quality of thebasestock lubricating oil.

Corrosion inhibitors, also known as anti-corrosive agents, reduce thedegradation of the metallic parts contacted by the lubricating oilcomposition. Illustrative of corrosion inhibitors are phosphosulfurizedhydrocarbons and the products obtained by reaction of aphosphosulfurized hydrocarbon with an alkaline earth metal oxide orhydroxide, preferably in the presence of an alkylated phenol or of analkylphenol thioester, and also preferably in the presence of carbondioxide. Phosphosulfurized hydrocarbons are prepared by reacting asuitable hydrocarbon such as a terpene, a heavy petroleum fraction of aC₂ to C₆ olefin polymer such as polyisobutylene, with from 5 to 30weight percent of a sulfide of phosphorus for 1/2 to 15 hours, at atemperature in the range of 65° to 315° C. Neutralization of thephosphosulfurized hydrocarbon may be effected in the manner taught inU.S. Pat. No. 1,969,324.

Oxidation inhibitors reduce the tendency of mineral oils to deterioratein service which deterioration can be evidenced by the products ofoxidation such as sludge and varnish-like deposits on the metal surfacesand by viscosity growth. Such oxidation inhibitors include alkalineearth metal salts of alkylphenolthioesters having preferably C₅ to C₁₂alkyl side chains, calcium nonylphenol sulfide, barium t-octylphenylsulfide, dioctylphenylamine, phenylalphanaphthylamine, phosphosulfurizedor sulfurized hydrocarbons, etc.

Friction modifiers serve to impart the proper friction characteristicsto lubricating oil compositions such as automatic transmission fluids.

Representative examples of suitable friction modifiers are found in U.S.Pat. No. 3,933,659 which discloses fatty acid esters and amides; U.S.Pat. No. 4,176,074 which describes molybdenum complexes ofpolyisobutenyl succinic anhydride-amino alkanols; U.S. Pat. No.4,105,571 which discloses glycerol esters of dimerized fatty acids; U.S.Pat. No. 3,779,928 which discloses alkane phosphonic acid salts; U.S.Pat. No. 3,778,375 which discloses reaction products of a phosphonatewith an oleamide; U.S. Pat. No. 3,852,205 which disclosesS-carboxy-alkylene hydrocarbyl succinimide, S-carboxyalkylenehydrocarbyl succinamic acid and mixtures thereof; U.S. Pat. No.3,879,306 which discloses N-(hydroxyalkyl) alkenyl-succinamic acids orsuccinimides; U.S. Pat. No. 3,932,290 which discloses reaction productsof di-(lower alkyl) phosphites and epoxides; and U.S. Pat. No. 4,028,258which discloses the alkylene oxide adduct of phosphosulfurizedN-(hydroxyalkyl) alkenyl succinimides. The disclosures of the abovereferences are herein incorporated by reference. The most preferredfriction modifiers are glycerol mono and dioleates, and succinateesters, or metal salts thereof, of hydrocarbyl substituted succinicacids or anhydrides and thiobis alkanols such as described in U.S. Pat.No. 4,344,853.

Pour point depressants lower the temperature at which the lubricatingoil will flow or can be poured. Such depressants are well known. Typicalof those additives which usefully optimize the low temperature fluidityof the fluid are C₈ -C₁₈ dialkylfumarate vinyl acetate copolymers,polymethacrylates, and wax naphthalene.

Foam control can be provided by an antifoamant of the polysiloxane type,e.g. silicone oil and polydimethyl siloxane.

Organic, oil-soluble compounds useful as rust inhibitors in thisinvention comprise nonionic surfactants such as polyoxyalkylene polyolsand esters thereof, and anionic surfactants such as salts of alkylsulfonic acids. Such anti-rust compounds are known and can be made byconventional means. Nonionic surfactants, useful as anti-rust additivesin the oleaginous compositions of this invention, usually owe theirsurfactant properties to a number of weak stabilizing groups such asether linkages. Nonionic anti-rust agents containing ether linkages canbe made by alkoxylating organic substrates containing active hydrogenswith an excess of the lower alkylene oxides (such as ethylene andpropylene oxides) until the desired number of alkoxy groups have beenplaced in the molecule.

The preferred rust inhibitors are polyoxyalkylene polyols andderivatives thereof. This class of materials are commercially availablefrom various sources: Pluronic Polyols from Wyandotte ChemicalsCorporation; Polyglycol 112-2, a liquid triol derived from ethyleneoxide and propylene oxide available from Dow Chemical Co.; and Tergitol,dodecylphenyl or monophenyl polyethylene glycol ethers, and Ucon,polyalkylene glycols and derivatives, both available from Union CarbideCorp. These are but a few of the commercial products suitable as rustinhibitors in the improved composition of the present invention.

In addition to the polyols per se, the esters thereof obtained byreacting the polyols with various carboxylic acids are also suitable.Acids useful in preparing these esters are lauric acid, stearic acid,succinic acid, and alkyl- or alkenyl-substituted succinic acids whereinthe alkyl or alkenyl group contains up to about twenty carbon atoms.

The preferred polyols are prepared as block polymers. Thus, ahydroxy-substituted compound, R--(OH)_(n) (wherein n is 1 to 6, and R isthe residue of a mono- or polyhydric alcohol, phenol, naphthol, etc.) isreacted with propylene oxide to form a hydrophobic base. This base isthen reacted with ethylene oxide to provide a hydrophilic portionresulting in a molecule having both hydrophilic and hydrophylicportions. The relative sizes of these portions can be adjusted byregulating the ratio of reactants, time of reaction, etc., as is obviousto those skilled in the art. Thus it is within the skill of the art toprepare polyols whose molecules are characterized by hydrophilic andhydrophylic moieties which are present in a ratio rendering rustinhibitors suitable for use in any lubricant composition regardless ofdifferences in the base oils and the presence of other additives.

If more oil-solubility is needed in a given lubricating composition, thehydrophobic portion can be increased and/or the hydrophilic portiondecreased. If greater oil-in-water emulsion breaking ability isrequired, the hydrophilic and/or hydrophobic portions can be adjusted toaccomplish this.

Compounds illustrative of R--(OH)_(n) include alkylene polyols such asthe alkylene glycols, alkylene triols, alkylene tetrols, etc., such asethylene glycol, propylene glycol, glycerol, pentaerythritol, sorbitol,mannitol, and the like. Aromatic hydroxy compounds such as alkylatedmono- and polyhydric phenols and naphthols can also be used, e.g.,heptylphenol, dodecylphenol, etc.

Other suitable demulsifiers include the esters disclosed in U.S. Pat.Nos. 3,098,827 and 2,674,619.

The liquid polyols available from Wyandotte Chemical Co. under the namePluronic Polyols and other similar polyols are particularly well suitedas rust inhibitors. These Pluronic Polyols correspond to the formula:##STR23## wherein x,y, and z are integers greater than 1 such that theCH₂ CH₂ O groups comprise from about 10% to about 40% by weight of thetotal molecular weight of the glycol, the average molecule weight ofsaid glycol being from about 1000 to about 5000. These products areprepared by first condensing propylene oxide with propylene glycol toproduce the hydrophobic base ##STR24## This condensation product is thentreated with ethylene oxide to add hydrophilic portions to both ends ofthe molecule. For best results, the ethylene oxide units should comprisefrom about 10 to about 40% by weight of the molecule. Those productswherein the molecular weight of the polyol is from about 2500 to 4500and the ethylene oxide units comprise from about 10% to about 15% byweight of the molecule are particularly suitable. The polyols having amolecular weight of about 4000 with about 10% attributable to (CH₂ CH₂O) units are particularly good. Also useful are alkoxylated fattyamines, amides, alcohols and the like, including such alkoxylated fattyacid derivatives treated with C₉ to C₁₆ alkyl-substituted phenols (suchas the mono- and di-heptyl, octyl, nonyl, decyl, undecyl, dodecyl andtridecyl phenols), as described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,849,501, which isalso hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.

These compositions of our invention may also contain other additivessuch as those previously described, and other metal containingadditives, for example, those containing barium and sodium.

The lubricating composition of the present invention may also includecopper lead bearing corrosion inhibitors. Typically such compounds arethe thiadiazole polysulphides containing from 5 to 50 carbon atoms,their derivatives and polymers thereof. Preferred materials are thederivatives of 1,3,4-thiadiazoles such as those described in U.S. Pat.Nos. 2,719,125; 2,719,126; and 3,087,932; especially preferred is thecompound 2,5 bis (t-octadithio)-1,3,4-thiadiazole commercially availableas Amoco 150. Other similar materials also suitable are described inU.S. Pat. Nos. 3,821,236; 3,904,537; 4,097,387; 4,107,059; 4,136,043;4,188,299; and 4,193,882.

Other suitable additives are the thio and polythio sulphenamides ofthiadiazoles such as those described in U.K. Patent Specification1,560,830. When these compounds are included in the lubricatingcomposition, we prefer that they be present in an amount from 0.01 to10, preferably 0.1 to 5.0 weight percent based on the weight of thecomposition.

Some of these numerous additives can provide a multiplicity of effects,e.g., a dispersant-oxidation inhibitor. This approach is well known andneed not be further elaborated herein.

Compositions when containing these conventional additives are typicallyblended into the base oil in amounts effective to provide their normalattendant function. Representative effective amounts of such additives(as the respective active ingredients) in the fully formulated oil areillustrated as follows:

    ______________________________________                                                          Wt. % A.I.                                                                              Wt. %                                             Compositions      (Preferred)                                                                             (Broad)                                           ______________________________________                                        Viscosity Modifier                                                                              0.01-4    0.01-12                                           Detergents        0.01-3    0.01-20                                           Corrosion Inhibitor                                                                             0.01-1.5  .01-5                                             Oxidation Inhibitor                                                                             0.01-1.5  .01-5                                             Dispersant        0.1-8      .1-20                                            Pour Point Depressant                                                                           0.01-1.5  .01-5                                             Anti-Foaming Agents                                                                             0.001-0.15                                                                              .001-3                                            Anti-Wear Agents  0.001-1.5 .001-5                                            Friction Modifiers                                                                              0.01-1.5  .01-5                                             Mineral Oil Base  Balance   Balance                                           ______________________________________                                    

When other additives are employed, it may be desirable, although notnecessary, to prepare additive concentrates comprising concentratedsolutions or dispersions of the novel dispersants of this invention (inconcentrate amounts hereinabove described), together with one or more ofsaid other additives (said concentrate when constituting an additivemixture being referred to herein as an additive-package) whereby severaladditives can be added simultaneously to the base oil to form thelubricating oil composition. Dissolution of the additive concentrateinto the lubricating oil may be facilitated by solvents and by mixingaccompanied with mild heating, but this is not essential. Theconcentrate or additive-package will typically be formulated to containthe additives in proper amounts to provide the desired concentration inthe final formulation when the additive-package is combined with apredetermined amount of base lubricant. Thus, the dispersants of thepresent invention can be added to small amounts of base oil or othercompatible solvents along with other desirable additives to formadditive-packages containing active ingredients in collective amounts oftypically from about 2.5 to about 90%, and preferably from about 15 toabout 75%, and most preferably from about 25 to about 60% by weightadditives in the appropriate proportions with the remainder being baseoil.

The final formulations may employ typically about 10 wt. % of theadditive-package with the remainder being base oil.

All of said weight percents expressed herein (unless otherwiseindicated) are based on active ingredient (A.I.) content of theadditive, and/or upon the total weight of any additive-package, orformulation which will be the sum of the A.I. weight of each additiveplus the weight of total oil or diluent.

This invention will be further understood by reference to the followingexamples, wherein all parts are parts by weight, unless otherwise notedand which include preferred embodiments of the invention. In theExamples, wt. % ethylene in the polymers was determined by FTIR (ASTMMethod D3900).

EXAMPLE 1 Free-radical Grafting of an Ethylene Propylene CopolymerReacted with Maleic Anhydride

A 2 liter glass reactor is charged with 800 gm of an ethylene content of50 wt. percent, a number average molecular weight of 790 and a terminalvinylidene content greater than 90 percent. The reactor is purged withnitrogen for 2 hours and the temperature of the flask and contents isincreased to 150° C. Maleic anhydride (196 gms) is charged to the flaskand then 30 gms of di-tertiary butyl peroxide is added over the courseof 4 hours. The reaction is then continued for an additional 5 hours.The temperature is then increased to 180° C., and unreacted maleicanhydride and catalyst decomposition products are removed under areduced pressure of 0.5 mm. The resulting modified ethylene propylenecopolymer is a grafted adduct with about 22 gms of maleic anhydridegrafted per 100 gms of original polymer. This corresponds roughly toabout 2 molecules of maleic anhydride grafted per molecule of ethylenepropylene copolymer.

EXAMPLE 2 Amination of the Product in Example 1 with an Amine whichContains Only 1 Reactive Nitrogen

200 gms of the modified polymer of Example 1 are placed in a suitableglass reactor. 72 grams of N-(3-aminopropyl) morpholine are added to thereactor (corresponding approximately to stoichiometric equivalence tografted maleic anhydride) and the temperature increased to 160° C.Stirring the mixture is continued for 3 hours, and then a stream ofnitrogen is maintained through the reaction mixture to remove unreactedN-(3-aminopropyl) morpholine and water of reaction. The temperature isthen raised to 180° C. for 30 minutes to complete the removal. Thereaction product is a gel-free imide product which is effective as adispersant.

EXAMPLE 3 Amination of the Product of Example 1 with a Polyamine and aChain Stopper (Polyisobutenyl Succinic Anhydride)

200 gms of the modified polymer of Example 1 are placed in a suitableglass reactor equipped with adequate stirring. The reactor is purgedwith nitrogen for 30 minutes and the contents are heated to about 100°C. About 350 gms of polyisobutenyl succinic anhydride having an ASTM,D-64 Sap. No. 112 which are diluted with 350 gms of solvent 100N diluentoil are added to the polymer with stirring and the temperature is raisedto about 190° C. The reaction mixture is held at that temperature withnitrogen stripping for 3 hours, followed by cooling. The resultingproduct is a viscous liquid substantially free of gel.

EXAMPLE 4 Free-radical Grafting of Ethylene Propylene Copolymer Reactedwith Maleic Anhydride

A 2 liter glass reactor is charged with 800 gm of an ethylene propylenerandom copolymer having an ethylene content of about 50%, a numberaverage molecular weight of about 1900 (0.42 moles) and a terminalvinylidene content of greater than 60%. The reactor is heated to 100° C.and purged with nitrogen for 2 hours. The contents of the flask areheated to 150° C. Maleic anhydride (88 gm) is charged to the flask and 8gms of ditertiary butyl peroxide is added over the course of 2 hours,and the reaction is continued for an additional 4 hours. The temperatureis then increased to 180° C., and unreacted maleic anhydride andcatalyst decomposition products are removed under a reduced pressure of0.5 mm. The resulting adduct is a grafted ethylene propylene copolymerwith about 10 gms of maleic anhydride grafted per 100 gms of polymer, orroughly 2 molecules of maleic anhydride per molecule of copolymer on theaverage.

EXAMPLE 5 Esterification of the Product of Example 4 in Presence ofChain-stopper

About 200 gms of the product of Example 4 (about 0.105 moles ofanhydride) is mixed with 100 gms of mineral oil (solvent 150N) and 15gms of pentaerythritol in the presence of 0.2 gms of stannous octanoateas an esterification catalyst. 4 gms of normal hexanol (about 0.04moles) is added as a chain stopper and the mixture is heated to 175° C.with reflux for about 3 hours. The reaction mixture is nitrogen strippedfor one-half hour. The reaction mixture is filtered, collected anddemonstrated to be substantially gel-free. The resulting material is aneffective dispersant and viscosity modifier.

EXAMPLE 6 Esterification of Product of Example 4 in Presence ofChain-stopper

The reaction protocol of Example 2 is followed, except that 5 gms ofN-(-3-amino propyl morpholine) is employed as a monoreactive amine chainstopper. The reaction is run under similar conditions as Example 2 withreflux for 5 hours and the resultant mixture is nitrogen stripped forone-half hour at reaction temperature. The resulting material issubstantially gel-free and is an effective dispersant and viscositymodifier.

What is claimed is:
 1. An oil soluble, gel-free dispersant additive foroleaginous compositions comprising the reaction product of:(A) a graftedα-olefin polymer prepared by free radically grafting oil solubleα-olefin polymer with carboxylic acid producing moieties having 1 to 2carboxylic acid producing groups per moiety, said α-olefin polymerselected from the group consisting of α-olefin homopolymers and α-olefininterpolymers, said α-olefin polymer having a number average molecularweight of from about 700 to about 10,000 and a polydispersity of fromabout 1 to 5 prior to grafting, and wherein at least about 30% of thepolymer chains of said α-olefin polymer possess terminal ethenylideneunsaturation prior to grafting, and wherein said carboxylic acidproducing moieties are randomly attached along the polymer chains of thegrafted α-olefin polymer such that the grafted α-olefin polymer containsan average of from 1 to 3 carboxylic acid producing moieties per polymerchain; and wherein the grafted α-olefin polymer has a concentration ofunreacted polymer of less than about 25 wt. %; and (B) at least onenon-aromatic nucleophilic post-treating reactant selected from the groupconsisting of:(i) amine compounds containing only a single reactiveamino group per molecule, (ii) alcohol compounds containing only asingle hydroxy group per molecule, (iii) polyamine compounds containingat least two reactive amino groups per molecule, (iv) polyol compoundscontaining at least two reactive hydroxy groups per molecule, (v)aminoalcohol compounds containing at least one reactive amino group andat least one reactive hydroxy group per molecule, and (vi) mixturesthereof;provided that when said post-treating reactant includes one ormore of (iii), (iv) or (v), the reaction between (A) and (B) isconducted in the presence of sufficient chain-stopping or end-cappingco-reactant (C) to ensure that the reaction product is gel-free.
 2. Thedispersant additive according to claim 1, wherein said α-olefin polymercomprises ethylene/α-olefin interpolymer.
 3. The dispersant additiveaccording to claim 1, wherein said α-olefin polymer is derived from atleast two α-olefins.
 4. The dispersant additive according to claim 1,wherein said non-aromatic post-treating reactant (B) comprises (i) atleast one amine compound containing only a single reactive amino groupper molecule.
 5. The dispersant additive according to claim 1, whereinsaid non-aromatic post-treating reactant (B) comprises (ii) at least onealcohol compound containing only a single reactive hydroxy group permolecule.
 6. The dispersant additive according to claim 1, wherein saidnon-aromatic post-treating reactant (B) comprises (iii) at least onepolyamine compound containing more than one reactive amino group permolecule.
 7. The dispersant additive according to claim 1, wherein saidnon-aromatic post-treating reactant (B) comprises (iv) at least onepolyol compound containing more than one reactive hydroxy group permolecule.
 8. The dispersant additive according to claim 1, wherein saidnon-aromatic post-treating reactant (B) comprises (v) at least oneaminoalcohol compound containing at least one reactive amino group andat least one reactive hydroxy group per molecule.
 9. The dispersantadditive according to claim 1, wherein said chain-stopping orend-capping co-reactant is selected from the group consisting of (a) C₁₂-C₄₀₀ hydrocarbyl substituted succinic acid or anhydride, (b) long chainmonocarboxylic acid of the formula RCOOH where R is C₁₂ -C₄₀₀hydrocarbyl, (c) amine compounds containing only a single reactive aminogroup per molecule, (d) alcohol compounds having only a single reactivehydroxy group per molecule, and (e) mixtures of (a)-(d).
 10. Thedispersant additive according to claim 1, wherein said ethylene/α-olefininterpolymer comprises from about 20 to about 80 wt. % of units derivedfrom ethylene and from about 20 to about 80 wt. % of units derived fromat least one C₃ to C₂₈ α-olefin.
 11. The dispersant additive accordingto claim 1, wherein said oil soluble polymer has a number averagemolecular weight of from about 700 to about 5,000 prior to grafting. 12.The dispersant additive according to claim 1, wherein said oil solublepolymer has a number average molecular weight of from about 1,000 toabout 3,000 prior to grafting.
 13. The dispersant additive according toclaim 1, wherein at least about 60% of the polymer chains of saidpolymer possess terminal ethenylidene unsaturation prior to grafting.14. The dispersant additive according to claim 1, wherein said α-olefinis selected from the group consisting of propylene and 1-butene.
 15. Thedispersant additive according to claim 4, wherein said amine compound(B) (i) is selected from the group consisting of N,N-dimethylaminopropylamine; N,N-dimethylaminoethyl amine; N-(2-aminoethyl)morpholine;N-(2-aminoethyl)piperidine; N-(3-aminopropyl)morpholine; andN-(3-aminopropyl)piperidine.
 16. The dispersant additive according toclaim 6, wherein said polyamine compound (B) (iii) is selected fromaliphatic saturated amines of the general formula: ##STR25## wherein R,R' and R" are independently selected from the group consisting ofhydrogen; C₁ to C₂₅ straight or branched chain alkyl radicals; C₁ to C₁₂alkoxy C₂ to C₆ alkylene radicals; and C₁ to C₁₂ alkylamine C₂ to C₆alkylene radicals; and wherein R" can additionally comprise a moiety ofthe formula: ##STR26## wherein R' is defined as above, and wherein r andr' can be the same or a different number of from 2 to 6, and t and t'can be the same or a different number from 0 to 10, with the provisothat the sum of t and t' is not greater than
 10. 17. The dispersantadditive according to claim 6, wherein said polyamine compound (B) (iii)comprises at least one amine compound selected from the group consistingof ethylene diamine, diethylene triamine, triethylene tetramine,propylene diamine, dipropylene triamine, tripropylene tetramine,tetraethylene pentamine, pentaethylene hexamine and bis(para-aminocyclohexyl) methane oligomers.
 18. The dispersant additive according toclaim 6, wherein said polyamine compound (B)(iii) comprises aheterocyclic nitrogen compound selected from the group consisting ofimidazolines and N-aminoalkyl piperazines of the formula: ##STR27##wherein p1 and p2 are the same or different and are each integers offrom 2 to 4, and n1, n2 and n3 are the same or different and are eachintegers of from 1 to
 3. 19. The dispersant additive according to claim6, wherein said polyamine compound (B) (iii) comprises a polyoxyalkylenepolyamine.
 20. The dispersant additive according to claim 7, whereinsaid polyol compound (B) (iv) comprises at least one member selectedfrom the group consisting of pentaerythritol and cyclic poly(methylol)compounds.
 21. The dispersant additive according to claim 8, whereinsaid aminoalcohol compound (B) (iv) contains up to about 10 total carbonatoms, from 1 to 5 nitrogen atoms and from 1 to 5 hydroxyl groups. 22.The dispersant additive according to claim 21, wherein said aminoalcoholcomprises at least one member selected from the group consisting of2,2-disubstituted-2-amino-1-alkanols having from 2 to 3 hydroxyl groupsand containing a total of 4 to 8 carbon atoms.
 23. The dispersantadditive according to claim 22, wherein said aminoalcohol comprises atleast one member selected from the group consisting of2-amino-2-methyl-1,3-propanediol, 2-amino-2-ethyl-1,3-propanediol and2-amino-2-hydroxymethyl-1,3-propanediol.
 24. The dispersant additiveaccording to claim 1, wherein said chain-stopping or end-cappingco-reactant (C) comprises C₁₂ -C₄₀₀ hydrocarbyl substituted succinicacid or anhydride.
 25. The dispersant additive according to claim 24,wherein said chain-stopping or end-capping co-reactant(C) comprises C₁₂to C₄₉ hydrocarbyl substituted succinic acid or anhydride.
 26. Thedispersant additive according to claim 25, wherein said chain-stoppingor end-capping co-reactant (C) comprises C₁₂ to C₁₈ hydrocarbylsubstituted succinic acid or anhydride.
 27. The dispersant additiveaccording to claim 24, wherein said chain-stopping or end-cappingco-reactant (C) comprises C₅₀ -C₄₀₀ hydrocarbyl substituted succinicacid or anhydride.
 28. The dispersant additive according to claim 27,wherein said chain-stopping or end-capping co-reactant (C) comprisespolyisobutenyl succinic anhydride.
 29. The dispersant additive accordingto claim 1, wherein said chain-stopping or end-capping co-reactant (C)comprises long chain monocarboxylic acid of the formula RCOOH where R isC₁₂ -C₄₀₀ hydrocarbyl.
 30. The dispersant additive according to claim29, wherein said long chain monocarboxylic acid comprises at least onemember selected from the group consisting of isostearic acid, oleicacid, stearic acid, lauric acid and palmitic acid.
 31. The dispersantadditive according to claim 1, wherein said chain-stopping orend-capping co-reactant (C) comprises an amine containing only a singlereactive amino group per molecule.
 32. The dispersant additive accordingto claim 31, wherein said amine (C) is selected from the groupconsisting of hexyl amine, N,N-dimethylaminopropyl amine,N,N-diethylaminopropyl amine, N,N-dimethylaminoethyl amine,N-(2-aminoethyl) morpholine; N-(2-aminoethyl)piperidine;N-(3-aminopropyl)morpholine; and N-(3-aminopropyl)piperidine.
 33. Thedispersant additive according to claim 1, wherein said chain-stopping orend-capping co-reactant (C) comprises an alcohol having only a singlereactive hydroxy group per molecule.
 34. An oil composition comprising amajor proportion of oil selected from lubricating oil and fuel oil andabout 0.01 to 49 wt. % of the oil soluble dispersant additive accordingto claim
 1. 35. An oil composition which is a lubricating oilcomposition comprising a major proportion of lubricating oil and about0.01 to 15 wt. % of the oil soluble dispersant additive according toclaim
 1. 36. An oil composition which is an additive concentratecomprising a major amount of lubricating oil and about 5 to about 49 wt.% of the oil soluble dispersant additive according to claim 1.